Following Christopher Nolan's epic Dunkirk, filmmaker Joe Wright's Darkest Hour further illuminates that massive 1940 evacuation, anchored by a dazzling Golden Globe-winning and Oscar-nominated performance by Gary Oldman as plummy wordsmith Winston Churchill. Within days of becoming Great Britain's Prime Minister, Churchill was faced with the choice of negotiating a peace treaty with Hitler—who he considered a madman—or standing firm, initiating a fight for freedom from tyranny. As Nazi Germany's troops rolled across Western Europe, invading France and encircling and pushing 400,000 Allied troops onto the coastal beach at Dunkirk, Churchill was coping not only with his own Cabinet and pacifist Parliament plotting against him but also a skeptical King George VI (Ben Mendelsohn). Supported by his devoted wife, Clementine (Kristin Scott Thomas), yet wracked by depression and self-doubt over a WWI defeat at Gallipoli, Churchill duly considers appeasement but ultimately defies former Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain (Ronald Pickup) and Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax (Stephen Dillane), noting: "You cannot reason with a tiger when your head is in its mouth!" Propelled by incredible (almost manic) energy, both mental and physical—and augmented by jowly makeup and padding—Oldman magically transforms himself into the pugnacious 20th-century icon Churchill in this Best Picture nominee. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Joe Wright, a behind-the-scenes featurette (8 min.), and a “Gary Oldman: Becoming Churchill” special effects segment (5 min.). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for this historical drama featuring a showcase performance by Oldman.] (S. Granger)
Darkest Hour
Universal, 125 min., PG-13, DVD: $29.98, Blu-ray/DVD Combo: $34.98 Volume 33, Issue 2
Darkest Hour
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