Oldman’s brightest hours

Film review: Darkest Hour

MANILA, Philippines — Winston Churchill’s Darkest Hour is Gary Oldman’s brightest two hours. While we’ve often admired Oldman’s acting versatility and dared to consider him one of this generation’s greats, the only Oscar nomination he’s received prior to this film was for Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy in 2012. Thankfully, Darkest Hour seems poised to change all that, as Oldman has been making a clean sweep of all the award shows’ Best Actor leading to the Oscars.

Directed by Joe Wright (Pride & Prejudice, Atonement, Hanna), with a screenplay from Anthony McCarten (Theory of Everything), Darkest Hour is a historical biopic that recalls the events of May 1940 — from the resignation of Neville Chamberlain as the British Prime Minister, the begrudging ascent of Churchill to that position, the successful military campaigns of Nazi Germany over much of mainland Europe, up to the rescue operations that Dunkirk is known for. And in the film, Churchill is squarely placed in the center of all that was transpiring; key here being the political infighting that was going on as certain parties were pushing for a negotiated peace treaty with Adolf Hitler, brokered by Benito Mussolini.

Supported by an impressive cast that includes the wonderful Kristin Scott-Thomas as Churchill’s wife, Clementine; Lily James as his secretary (almost unrecognizable from her Baby Driver role); and the solid Ben Mendelsohn as King George, the film is above all, a vehicle for Oldman to keep us riveted to our seats in full appreciation of his immersion into the role. Make-up artist Kazuhiro Tsuji utilizes prosthetics to add jowls and predominant baldness; and from that starting point, Oldman mesmerizes by taking on the speech patterns, mumblings, physical tics and movements, and crusty demeanor of the man. It’s an astounding transformation that allows the film to rise above its rather pedestrian narrative.

Keeping the actual fighting at a distance, Darkest Hour manages to be a contrast and companion piece to Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk. If Dunkirk was focused on the front lines of the evacuation and rescue, Darkest Hour is about the back room politics and the heavyweight decision-making that swirled around this juncture of World War II history. And most of all, Darkest Hour is about a consummate actor bedazzling us with a performance for the ages.