- Actors: Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily James, Stephen Dillane, Ben Mendelsohn
- Director: Joe Wright
- Writer: Anthony McCarten
- Producers: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce, Anthony McCarten, Douglas Urbanski
- Film Format: Color, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
- Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
- Subtitles: French, Spanish, English
- Region: Region A/1
- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
- Rated: PG-13
- Studio: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
- Release Date: February 27, 2018
- Run Time: 125 minutes
It is tempting to
consider Darkest Hour as a companion
film rather than on its own merits alone, and this is partly due to one of the
films also nominated for Academy Awards this year. While Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk deals exclusively with the
events occurring on the front lines of the British retreat from Belgium, Darkest Hour is entirely focused on the
political decisions being made during the same period. So, while Dunkirk lacks context, Darkest Hour is missing the excitement
of the wartime action. While it is easy to consider the spectacular film we
might have had with both of these narratives combined, it is far more important
to acknowledge how director Joe Wright has managed to make Darkest Hour every bit as visually exciting as Dunkirk, even without any action sequences.
As well as making
a great companion piece to Dunkirk, Darkest Hour would also benefit from a
double feature with Churchill,
another biopic of the former Prime Minister which takes place during the end of
the war. Rather than depicting the end of his time as Prime Minister, Darkest Hour begins with his
appointment. Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman) is still recovering politically
for his mistakes in the Gallipoli Campaign, and this weighs heavily on his
decisions in a failing war against Adolf Hitler.
The film begins
with the members of Parliament deciding to remove Neville Chamberlain (Ronald Pickup)
as British Prime Minister, with Churchill as the only decent replacement
available, despite his unpopularity. Once appointed, Churchill faces continued
skepticism, even from members of his own party and King George VI (Ben
Mendelsohn). Even though it is clear that Churchill cares a great deal about his
country, many see his refusal to come to peace terms with Hitler as nothing
more than hubris to make up for the failings at Gallipoli. While Churchill
believes that victory against the Germans is the only option, many are
convinced that this will lead to England’s complete destruction.
With his stubborn and often cantankerous
attitude, it is easy to see why Churchill rubs many people the wrong way, and
the film would have difficulty making him appear sympathetic if it weren’t for
the personal interactions we are privy to. This obviously includes his wife,
Clementine (Kristin Scott Thomas), who is a sounding board for his doubts and
concerns, but the film primarily introduces us to his ways through the eyes of
his new secretary, Elizabeth Layton (Lily James). While her first interaction
with Churchill ends in shouting and tears, the Prime Minister eventually shows his
softer side to Elizabeth, who clearly represents the average British citizen.
While Dunkirk is a film without much dialogue, Darkest Hour contains little else, so it is something of a miracle that
Joe Wright has made the film so visually engaging. As he has previously proved
capable of doing, Wright uses constant camera movement and precise editing to keep
the film exciting, even during scenes of nothing but dialogue. This added with
flawless production design and some spectacular lighting makes Darkest Hour one of the best directed
films of the year, even if it is far from the flashiest.
The Blu-ray release of Darkest Hour comes with DVD and digital copies
of the film, along with a few special features on the discs. There are two
featurettes, one of which is a general making-of featurette, while the other
predictably discusses Oldman’s transformation into the role. While some of the
endless praise over Oldman’s performance is no doubt due to the make-up prosthetics
which transform him physically, it is also his ability to capture the smaller
nuances of Churchill’s demeanor along with the raw passion which will likely
lead to Oldman winning an Academy Award this year. The last special feature is
a feature commentary track with Wright.
Entertainment Value:
6.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 9/10
Historical
Significance: 8/10
Special Features: 6.5/10
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