Darkest Hour review

Kathleen Kenney, A&E Writer

“History will be kind to me for I intend to write it,” Winston Churchill once said.

Darkest Hour is the story of Churchill’s first few weeks as Prime Minister of Britain in May of 1940. It explores the relationship between Churchill and his political party and the decision he made on whether Britain would fight during WWII or not. Simply put, Darkest Hour is an enthralling masterpiece detailing an intense moment in history.

The acting in Darkest Hour is superb. The characters all have intricate personalities, and the relationships between characters are conveyed realistically. While all the actors did a wonderful job, the real star is Gary Oldman, who plays Churchill. Oldman recently won Best Actor in a Drama Motion Picture at the 2018 Golden Globes for this role. He portrays the speech patterns, vices, and moods of Churchill phenomenally. While I learned a lot about Churchill through his own words and the events in the script, I learned the most about Churchill through Oldman’s portrayal. Oldman helps the audience learn about Churchill through many subtle means, such as the way a cigar is held, a word is formed, or an expression crosses the face. Frankly, without Oldman, the movie would not be the same.

However, it is not just Oldman who makes the movie great. Rather, there are many important elements that come together to make it so amazing. The story and its characters are utterly fascinating. With tired wives, eager secretaries, a nervous king, common, yet important train commuters, and conniving politicians, the interesting and inspiring plot is made even more wonderful. The storyline is superb too. It goes from fights in parliament, to joking between a secretary and the Prime Minister with astounding dexterity. It is difficult to switch from amusing to dark scenes at the drop of a hat, yet this movie seems to have done it. Overall, the plot keeps viewers engaged and wishing for more.

Darkest Hour is a work so beautiful, inspiring, and enlightening that I would watch it again and again. I recommend it to anyone who likes history, interesting people, inspiring words, or has a pulse. I give it 10/10.

Kathleen Kenney

A&E Writer