It takes a while to get used to him and his Winston Klump prosthetics, but before long he disappears into the role completely. Rather than mute the PM’s broader affectations, Oldman leans hard into them to great effect, his raspy growl and hunched posture evoking the real Churchill whilst elevating his bold, blowhard personality in every single scene.

From that weakened position, Churchill must fight tooth and nail to lift the spirits of the British people, and keep them from losing the war.Īll this political infighting and wartime drama is just window dressing for Oldman’s performance as Churchill, and it’s one for the books. Churchill is beset on all sides with resistance as the Axis creeps ever further toward England, with cries of appeasement growing louder as the German army traps the bulk of the British Army at Dunkirk. After he resigns to make room for the young upstart Lord Halifax ( Stephen Dillane), who promptly turns down the position, Winston Churchill (Oldman) is appointed PM to the chagrin of the rest of the establishment, including the pompous King George VI ( Ben Mendelsohn), who wants to replace him with Halifax as soon as he can. Hitler’s army rages across Europe, and the public is unsatisfied with Neville Chamberlain’s (Ronald Pickup) leadership as Prime Minister. Now it’s Gary Oldman’s turn, and the Oscar-thirsty thespian has teamed up with Joe Wright ( Atonement) for Darkest Hour, a compelling if overly simplistic dive into the man no one trusted to save the Kingdom. The man has benefited from a long history of screen depictions just last year, John Lithgow delivered his Emmy-winning Winnie in Netflix’s The Crown. He’s linked to one of the most dramatic periods in history (World War II), and his porcine figure, irascible sense of humor, and trembling vocal timbre make him a unique challenge for any actor. When it comes to magnetic, complicated historical figures that TV and film love to depict, few hold up to the British Bulldog himself, Winston Churchill.

The darkest flower by kristin b wright