In a long career of outstanding character work, memorable supporting roles and vicious villains, Oldman's turn as Churchill during his first month in office, May of 1940, is easily his
magnum opus, layered in prosthetic makeup and speaking with a heavy accent, Gary is nearly
unrecognizable as the wartime PM. If this role doesn't finally score him a much deserved Oscar, nothing will.
And while the magnificence of his talent cannot be understated, one exemplary performance
does not a good movie make. Dilling with the behind-the-scenes politics regarding the evacuation of the British forces on Dunkirk Beach, Darkest Hour makes for a Marvelous companion film to Christopher Nolan's picture on the same subject, released just months prior.
Whereas Dunkirk dealt with the emotional side, leaving much of historical exposition out of the narrative, this film does the opposite, giving us a rather cold and detached view of the war zone struggles.
They complement each other so well that separately the movies actually feel incomplete once you've seen both. It's this lack of emotional perspective that hobbles Darkest Hour the most.
We do see some glimpses though, like when Churchill defends his no surrender policy by angrily shouting, later an impromptu subway ride with Londoners helps him work through his difficult decision, in an excellent scene that's easily the film's most affecting.
Besides these flashes of empathy, the entire PG-13 rated picture is a little more than a display of Oldman's impressive acting prowess. As interesting as it is, most audiences might be better served by a documentary on the war instead. Oldman's brilliant performance propels Darkest Hour above its narrowly focused script to become a cool film.