DARKEST HOUR (2017)

1/1/18 - Darkest Hour (2017) - 5+/10

A completely serviceable and adequate historical delineation that is highlighted by an outstanding lead performance, but not much else. Gary Oldman shines through the make-up, completely bringing a vitality to this historical icon, but true exploration into the psyche or character was closed off and stagnant… There isn’t much excitement to be expected from this “stiff upper lip” of a psuedo-bio pic, and it delivers as a filmic whole, but tends to be a tad hollow and calcified.

Oldman appeared to inhabit the role with aplomb. I know little of the particular idiosyncrasies and activity of the factual historical character. That said, I felt that Oldman inhabited Churchill and brought this larger personality to the screen admirably. His mannerisms and makeup were transformative. Perhaps there wasn’t the depth of character that I might have desired, but that was from a story perspective and not a performance issue.

Expositionally fascinating, but so very snail-like. There were some fascinating bits about the timeline, the details of his thought process, and the role of his typist & family. And yet, it felt somewhat perfunctory and dull, things I wouldn’t say about any of Joe Wright’s previous films. Perhaps the constant darkness, the cramped feel of the story/its visual expression, or the truncated shallowness needed to touch on much of the characters & events just left me unenthused. It was just about solid. I think his performance probably deserved a bit more from the rest of the film.