Darkest Hour: Gary Oldman's Star Vehicle Leaves His Co-Stars in the Dark

©2017 - Focus Features

Studios tend to pack their end of the year distribution schedules with one of two types of films: moody arthouse flicks that have been beloved at festivals or intimate character studies that serve as Oscar fodder for their actors. Darkest Hour, the new take on Winston Churchill’s ascent to the Prime Ministership, is the latter. Gary Oldman is a revelation as Churchill but, while the rest of the cast tries hard, the movie around him never reaches the same astronomical heights.

If you are unfamiliar with Churchill’s first month in office, Hitler is advancing on Western Europe. Nazi forces are laying siege to British allies like France and Belgium. After unsuccessful attempts to fight back and/or broker peace agreements, Wilton Chamberlain (Ronald Pickup) is kicked out of office by a frustrated parliament. Begrudgingly, King George VI (a serviceable, but not spectacular, Ben Mendelsohn) offers the position to Churchill. For someone who is hailed as “the only man the coalition government will take,” Churchill faces much opposition for his inflamed rhetoric, gruff demeanor, and apparent alcoholism.

Despite increasingly grim odds, Churchill pushes onward and eventually spearheads Operation Dynamo (the famous evacuation of Dunkirk chronicled in Christopher Nolan's 2017 flick Dunkirk). Along the way, he seeks solace from his ever-devoted wife, Clementine (a woefully underutilized Kristin Scott Thomas), whose sharp tongue seems to be the only one that can match Churchill in a fencing match. In the workplace, Churchill turns to his supportive and competent secretary, Elizabeth Layton (Downton Abbey’s Lily James), for moral support. Given the fact that Great Britain is not currently under Nazi rule, it is unsurprising that all of their support helps Churchill succeed.

From the first few minutes, Darkest Hour makes it clear that Gary Oldman is the priority. Just as Miranda Priestly was talked of ad nauseam prior to her entrance in The Devil Wears Prada, so is Churchill the elephant in the room for the first handful of scenes. His introduction about ten minutes in, half-asleep in bed and crabbily dictating to his new secretary, is a series of tight shots highlighting only him. Scenes in which Oldman does not appear after this point are few and far between. Thankfully so, because whenever Oldman leaves the screen the movie slows down dramatically.

Even in her most sentimental scenes, Kristin Scott Thomas (Clementine Churchill) never outshines Gary Oldman's (Winston Churchill) performance. 
Photo by Jack English ©2017 - Focus Features.

Kristin Scott Thomas delivered such a good turn as Clementine Churchill that it is blasphemous for Anthony McCarten’s (The Theory of Everything) script to have ignored her for so much of the story. To better fit, her role needed to be either minimized or enlarged. As it stands, however, she appears and disappears at such odd moments that it almost seems like scenes were left on the cutting room floor that gave her more character development.

In terms of development, the only performer given opportunities to show multiple dimensions is Ms. James. During a particularly quiet and touching moment, Elizabeth Layton connects with Winston about the troops who are struggling to keep the encroaching Nazi forces at bay. Her personal connection to the war (her brother was recently killed in battle) reveals the reasons behind her initial tentative attitude toward Churchill's policies. Although strong, the moment is too fleeting to have an impact and occurs too late to meaningfully flesh out Ms. James’ character.

As previously noted, Anthony McCarten does not deliver the script I expected based on previous work. He succeeds, however, in creating a spectacularly emotional moment during Darkest Hour's third act. Heading to parliament to declare his intentions to continue Britain's defenses against the Nazis, Churchill takes the underground for the first time. While onboard, Churchill talks to the British people. Their responses, fervently defending their country and believing in a brighter tomorrow, are moving and echo beyond the WWII timeline of McCarthen's script.

Lily James (Elizabeth Layton) is the only co-star who comes close to emerging from Oldman's (Winston Churchill) massive shadow. 
Photo by Jack English ©2017 - Focus Features.

Dario Marianelli, who won an Oscar for Atonement, provides a serviceable score. None of the music, however, truly elevates the action. Instead, it fades into the background and never really calls attention to itself. Once again, Gary Oldman leaves little room for any other part of Darkest Hour to rise to his level.

Similar serviceability is seen in the film’s cinematography (Bruno Delbonnel, Inside Llewyn Davis). Throughout most of the film, camera angles are kept close and static and rarely inspire any additional rumination on the ongoing action. The one notable exception happens during a short scene in a water closet when Churchill phones then-President FDR for additional assistance combating Hitler. All surrounding set pieces fall away and only the tiny water closet remains surrounded by pitch black. It is a beautiful accentuation of Churchill’s ever-increasing isolation.

Darkest Hour runs about fifteen to twenty minutes too long but is, nevertheless, enjoyable throughout. Whenever Gary Oldman leaves the screen the lull can be felt throughout. Thankfully those moments are few and far between. Oldman shines when the film itself falters. His work is a testament of how crucial it is to celebrate performers and give them the ability to shine in a meaty role.

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