In one of Britain's turmoils, faced with Hitler's advancing armies, this is the time what we they can call its Darkest Hour. A war drama film set in May 1940, it stars Gary Oldman portraying Winston Churchill in his early days of being Prime Minister.
When in May 1940, the British government was deemed to weak to fight off the advances of the German army, its then Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was asked to resign, most feel that the successor should have been Lord Halifax, but the latter did not have the same sentiment. He felt that its Winston Churchill's time to be the Prime Minister.
Churchill has been disliked by many for his daring opinions and beliefs thus earned him a poor reputation in diplomacy. While everyone was clamoring for a peace treaty negotiations with Germany, Churchill opted none of it. While the German forces are advancing, British forces are trapped in Dunkirk, he called upon a daring rescue attempt involving small civilian boats. He neither had the big ships needed to launch such a rescue. He tried seeking help from the United States however the latter was in a state of neutrality with Germany and was not much help. He had to devise another plan to save the trapped soldiers in Dunkirk.
Under pressure from political parties, he almost succumbed to the idea of peace negotiations with Germany but he had a change of heart after talking to the masses. He took a train to parliament and on his way there, he had a chance to hear what the British people thought of their dire situation. This renewed stance against Germany echoed in the halls of Parliament and using the English language, have sent Britain into battle.
Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill was a great choice for this role and its not easy character to fill we might add. Churchill had an endearing personality and something you have to get used to before liking the guy. He is direct to the point and frank that sometimes you see it as arrogance. Gary Oldman is a charming guy so pulling off this role was no easy feat and we liked the way he properly portrayed the famous Prime Minister. Based on a true story of Churchill's rise to fame, we somehow can't help that this is likewise his story from the eyes of his secretary Elizabeth Layton (played by Lily James). She was in on almost every scene possible as she was with Churchill of the time.
As he was eloquent in the language and great in public speaking, he needed his secretary to type down his thoughts. Thus the movie likewise revolved around her, of how she was enamored by his speeches, from his dictation, to his delivery, although she knew of them beforehand, she would still be awed by his speeches. We can't help but see Churchill through the eyes of Elizabeth Layton and we also get to love this character albeit with great character flaws.
Churchill was needed during this Darkest Hour of Britain so much so that when the war ended he lost in the next general election. As of this writing, this movie is currently being shown on Netflix.
