Darkest Hour (2017)

November 22, 2017 (GB) • Drama, History • 125m

Overview

In May 1940, the fate of World War II hangs on Winston Churchill, who must decide whether to negotiate with Adolf Hitler or fight on knowing that it could mean the end of the British Empire.

Director

Gary Oldman

Keywords

world war ii biography based on true story london underground british politics british prime minister british history autobiographical dunkirk 1940s winston churchill serious inspirational bold based on real person biographical drama

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Reviews

Mex5150

⭐ 3/10

January 14, 2018

I have no idea why people are raving about this film, it's a bit crap, it's probably Oldman weakest performance to date, and the cinematography is terrible. Churchill with Brian Cox in the lead role is a FAR superior film on the subject.

Gimly

⭐ 6/10

January 25, 2018

As with many of the biopics I've seen recently, _Darkest Hour_ is more focussed on delivering you the facts than getting you involved with the characters. It is an interesting idea to have the majority of the story revolve around the of whether or not to sue for peace. That as a core concept in so much as the question of "Do I take the guarantee of saving my country or do I take the risk of saving the world?" and beyond that "Is there even a righ… read the rest.

barrymost

⭐ 7/10

August 28, 2019

It's 1940, and Hitler is attempting to take over Europe. The film takes an interesting look at Winston Churchill's first five weeks as Prime Minister. The acting in this movie is quite accomplished; good actors bring insight and depth to the characters. Overall, it's a well-done, engrossing film. Gary Oldman's performance as Winston Churchill was very good indeed, and his delivery of Churchill's speeches alone make watching the movie worthwhi… read the rest.

Ruggerview

⭐ 10/10

March 4, 2020

I saw this film at TIFF on the big screen and loved it. There's not a weak member of the cast. I really loved the way the photography reflected the sense of gloom that would have been felt by the people facing a new war. Big thumbs up, gives a strong sense of the time and place.

Peter89Spencer

⭐ 10/10

May 7, 2020

Gary Oldman was superb as Churchill.

Peter McGinn

January 6, 2023

I thought I might have seen this a couple pf years ago, but I still enjoyed it. There have been a few movies about Churchill’s rise to power at the outset of World War II. This one seems to cover the least amount of ground, focusing on his thought processes, the political climate and his personal life leading only up to the beginning of the Dunkirk evacuation.

I thought there were two things the film did well with its strong writing and actor … read the rest.

CinemaSerf

⭐ 7/10

May 29, 2024

A tour de force from Gary Oldman as he portrays Winston Churchill in his first few months of office at the start of WWII. Oddly enough though, aside from a few brief appearances from Kristin Scott-Thomas, the rest of the cast in this historical biopic are really quite unremarkable. The speeches are delivered magnificently; but there are too many speculative machinations going on - not least those involving King George VI - that do bring the credi… read the rest.