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 ...