Darkest Hour

2017, UK, directed by Joe Wright

The Gary Oldman/Winston Churchill show, and not a bad thing: Oldman catches the cadences of Churchill very effectively, but also finds a balance between public bombast and quieter domestic moments. While I'm not wedded to actors having to mimic their real-life inspiration, in Churchill's case it feels like a necessity to create at least a sense that this is a story that is taken from an actual historical period, and Oldman certainly embodies the PM, even if he perhaps softens some of the edges. At times, Wright opens things out and includes scenes of battle elsewhere, which don't really add a great deal -- it almost feels as though he doesn't have full confidence in the central drama, which is more than rich enough, though it does of course remind the viewer of the real impact of political decisions.