Darkest Hour (*****)

OF COURSE we have a great actor in Gary Oldman, and his performance as Winston Churchill here is impressive to say the least. What deserves just as much praise is the film as a whole, which serves to document the first month or so of the Prime Minister's rocky climb to power and all the forces that be. This, coupled with this year's Dunkirk and maybe even The King's Speech, might each work best against each other, paired up to tell one massive story of newfound leaders, war, and courage.

It starts with a great director in Joe Wright (he has helmed films from "Atonement" to "Pride and Prejudice"). It's all here on the page, but for a story like this to stay memorable, it takes a certain flair behind the camera as well. We open on grainy images of the war; black and white stock photos paired with an almost ominous sound of drums... Faint. We are then quickly introduced to the rapturous halls of Parliament in which the current Prime Minister (Neville Chamberlain) is losing the confidence of the government. A new leader is sought.

There is a build up to the introduction of Oldman's creation here, and for good reason. We meet all the main characters first, and then wander through long hallways and lengthy prefaces before catching a glimpse of the man through a cloud of smoke and the light of a match. Churchill, the fames leader, is not the type of man who might be elected today. He was old, forgetful, drunk, and in a constant aura of tobacco and sleepless. It was his dream (we are told) to become the leader of Great Britain, and he seemingly waited almost his whole life to achieve it. That was not without his faults...

DARKEST HOUR shows the flipside of the coin that was "Dunkirk." Where that film explored the chaos of the French beaches, here we see the dark underbelly of London on the brink of invasion and men deciding military strategies behind closed doors. In many ways, this is the more exciting film. We know about Winston from history books, from famed photos of his "v-sign" gesture (which now may be synonymous with 'peace'), but I did not realize the uphill climb the man had to wage war against Hitler when so many men around him would have simply chosen to surrender forthright. Churchill was a man of convictions, but the struggles come from trying to decide what is right and what is suggested he do. It's one man against the world - literally. Look at the scene where he telephones FDR to ask for assistance. It's not a loud scene, not is it climactic. Just look at how Oldman carries the worry, and the fear, and the building hopelessness of it all.

In many ways that's the strength of the film. I was wary first watching it of the loud, boisterous scenes of Winston Churchill yelling his head off (an obvious ploy for an Academy Award, no less), but I was touched by so many more moments of quiet reflection in which Gary Oldman shows us a man who was actually quite tender and reflective. On more than one occasion, he even has a tear in his eye. One scene in particular shows him interacting with passengers on the public train, and it's a charming moment from beginning to end. The contrast from light to dark and power to helpless is quite profound, and I must admit that this is a great, even astounding performance.

But so is the rest of the film... Dario Marianelli (a frequent collaborator with Wright) creates one of the most beautiful film scores I can remember. It sets the tone for the story in a way few composers might. And look at the visual structure and motifs. The camera is in a constant state of motion. It floats high above our character's heads as though from God's perspective, and then frames Churchill in small, isolated frames against black. Our cinematographer is Bruno Delbonnel (Amelie, Harry Potter 6, Inside Llewyn Davis) and eye for light, framing, and contrast is striking. There are few films this year that are likely as beautiful, and even fewer with such a clear insight into the language of film.

I'm glad to have seen DARKEST HOUR even though the 'WWII historical British biopic' seems to oftentimes be an overplayed genre. Don't let that fool you for a moment. This is a great film that explores the tiny minutia of one small aspect of a major global story. It isn't a war film, nor is it something that strives to be any more vast or ambitious than need be. It's the story of a man who comes to find the courage in himself to stand by his beliefs, a man who is strengthened by the courage of others. If that isn't a great, universal narrative, than I don't know what is.