“He just mobilized the English language and sent it into battle.”

From Darkest Hour.

In early May 1940,  British Parliament expresses their great dissatisfaction with the way the current Prime Minister, Chamberlain (Ronald Pickup) has run the country during World War II; as they called for his resignation, the opposing party would only agree to work with one man as their new Prime Minister: Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman).  Churchill was an difficult old man that mumbled, stood at odds with almost everyone in the government, and drank too much.  Churchill is left to decide how to deal with his newfound responsibility in a war that is tearing the world apart; does he seek peace like Chamberlain and party favorite Halifax (Stephen Dillane) want, or does he continue to fight no matter the hardships?  As he adjusts to his new position while trying to assure Parliament, the Allied Forces, and King George (Ben Mendelsohn), Churchill’s wife (Kristin Scott Thomas) and new secretary (Lily James) fight to help keep him on track.  As the war in Europe sees the British army retreating and being trapped at Dunkirk, Halifax and Chamberlain develop a plan to have Churchill thrown out of office if he does not negotiate peace with the Germans.  Stuck in a terrible situation in a position where no one wanted him, Winston Churchill will have to make a choice that will not only change the fate of England, but also that of the entire world.

Oldman completely disappears into Churchill, in a manner which is absolutely fascinating to watch.  The rest of the cast was also solidly selected, taking on the subtleties of their real-life characters with ease.  At certain times, the intensity of the actors’ accents can make it difficult to follow, but this is only for a few small moments and nothing that closed captions could not fix.  The sets are absolutely gorgeous and captivating.  There is also a pleasant variety of camera angles and shots that prevent any sense of monotony while also allowing the theme to change with the scenes.  This adaptation of the real life story is amazing from start to finish and captures Churchill with all his oddities and convictions.

| Rated: PG-13 | Running Time: 114 minutes |Genre: drama/history/biography |

||Family Viewing||Cursing: 4 of 10|Nudity: 0 of 10|Sexuality: 0 of 10|Gore: 1 of 10

|AVAILABLE FOR HOME VIEWING|