Gary Oldman is fantastic in the part, but the movie did very little to keep me engaged or entertained, unfortunately.

I have no idea why people are raving about this film, it's a bit crap, it's probably Oldman weakest performance to date, and the cinematography is terrible. Churchill with Brian Cox in the lead role is a *FAR* superior film on the subject.

When viewing this movie, two recent movies spring immediately to mind: Dunkirk and Lincoln. Dunkirk comes to mind because of the battle being predominant to the narrative of the film. Dunkirk makes the battle visceral, sure, but this film surpasses it in describing how critical that battle was and its importance to Churchill's career.

Lincoln is the film it more closely resembles. It's a character study of a national leader in their early years, during war, surrounded by political enemies with a standout performance by the lead. I found this movie more compelling because the character of Churchill more readily demonstrated his fear and lack of confidence in his own convictions which made for a more dramatic film that I thought brought the gravity of the war more to the fore. I'm not debating who was the better leader, but who had the more engaging story and I think this is it.

It moves along at a good pace and the "secretary" character does a good job of being the new person added to the world so the "Morris the Explainer" exposition is fairly well camouflaged. 8/10

This film won me over. It began poorly for me. I didn't care for Gary Oldman's Churchill or Ben Mendelsohn's choice of characterization of George VI. I was unuse to seeing Winston or the King portrayed as a blowhard or a faltering man but this provided a base upon which Anthony McCaren would build an arch that would span upward to a glorious triumph. He frames his story with a juxtaposition of viewpoints from the back rooms of power to the typewriter of a lowly secretary. Brilliant writing. Incredible performances from the aforementioned as well as Lily James and Kristin Scott Thomas. A superb film for which I give a rating of 9 (superb) out of 10. (If you haven't already, you should immediately watch DUNKIRK following this movie - bring tissues.) [Historical Drama]

One of the most amazing moments in history - impossible decisions of immeasurable consequence. Good vs an ultimate evil. And while others cower under such a heavy burden, one with courage grabs the reins and takes hold of the situation, creating an
unforgettable moment in history. This sequence of events is turned in to a well done drama, carried out with amazing acting.

Although this movie lacks action and is mostly conversation it does not bore. This movie is very well made, the story and the feeling are just right, and the acting is superb! I do hope that Gary Oldman will get an oscar for him amazing portrait of Winston Churchill.

Absolutely excellent. Oldman is brilliant.

Gary Oldman is a tour de force as Winston Churchill capturing his mannerisms and characteristics to show that he truly deserves award nominations in the acting categories.

However, I personally feel like this is inferior to a similar WW2 film, Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk. Darkest Hour manages to show you the actions of Churchill and his War Cabinet but (despite a few moments) does not show the consequences of these actions leading to less of a emotional weight, even the Tube scene felt a little forced to me.

The film is technically well done, using light and dark and even rain and sun to show the effects of war on the people with tracking shots being used to capture the grim atmosphere of 1940. Both cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel and composer Dario Marianelli deserve a mention, helping to set the world in a captivating way.

The film is an acting masterpiece (especially from Oldman) but it’s just a shame that other elements of the film couldn’t match the high-bar set by that.

Yes, Oldman's acting is as good as his makeup, but that does little to change the fact that this film is about a man making historical speeches. If you're a fan of speech making and history, then this film is for you. If not, try Dunkirk instead.