Darkest Hour

So how many World War II movies this year? I think this makes four.

Dunkirk made its mark on the big screen last summer. The epic story of that moment in World War II is told again from a smaller, different perspective in Darkest Hour. This makes the second time British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had his own biopic this year. The first, Churchill, was a critical dud. That's the opposite of this movie.

May 1940. The Nazis are quickly invading Europe. Neville Chamberlain (Ronald Pickup) is forced to resign as Prime Minister. Parliament unanimously chooses Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman) as his successor. Churchill's outspoken personality makes him an uneasy decision. His plan to face down the Axis Powers instead of negotiate peace unnerves Parliament. Chamberlain and Viscount Halifax (Stephen Dillane) decide to resign their positions in Churchill's cabinet as part of a scheme to get the latter appointed Prime Minister. Churchill has to prove them wrong when British soldiers get stranded in France.

Director Joe Wright and screenwriter Anthony McCarten keep things going for a brisk 125 minutes. It's surprisingly brisk given how verbose the movie is. Fortunately, the speeches drive the action rather than grind it to a halt. It's true when Churchill travels the Underground and meets a few folks. The awkwardness of the crowd to this unexpected traveler gives way to their declarations they support the good fight. It all leads to Churchill's climactic speech "we shall fight on the beaches."

Gary Oldman as Churchill makes it work.  His sarcastic personality doesn't win him many friends, but it wins a few laughs. One highlight is when he finds what the "V for Victory" pose also means. The story of him becoming a man of the people is a strong one. He starts the film being rude to his new secretary Elizabeth Layton (Lily James), but he soon learns how to be better to his closest confidants. His determination to face down Hitler wins him the audience's favor.

Oldman may be the highlight of the cast, but the other actors make great impressions. Pickup made a strong Chamberlain, a character more complex than the one depicted in history. Kristen Scott Thomas also did great as Churchill's wife, Clementine. Ben Mendelsohn was nicely cast as King George VI, and his performance is sure to draw comparisons to The King's Speech.

The technical highlight of the piece is the makeup supervised by Kazuhiro Tsuji. Oldman is believably sculpted into Churchill's image and other actors are perfectly aged up too. Cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel has several strong aerial shots. The claustrophobic production design is also a visual highlight. The editing by Valerio Boneli helps the film move along nicely. On the aural side, Dario Marianelli has another memorable score. The best use of sound is the silent opening montage of newsreels to highlight the Nazi menace.

Darkest Hour is a strong dramatization of early World War II. One can draw their own conclusions about its politics but it's the best film I've seen to realize Winston Churchill's quick wit. Nary a word is wasted in this screenplay. It more than makes up for Anna Karenina.