Movie: Darkest Hour
Direction: Joe Wright
Cast: Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily James, Stephen Dillane, Ronald Pickup, Ben Mendelsohn
Music: Dario Marianelli
Cinematographer: Bruno Delbonnel
Editor: Valerio Bonelli
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Rating: ∗∗∗½
What is it about: It’s a British War Drama, which follows the early days of Winston Churchill as Prime Minister during World War II when Hitler was closing in on Britain. The film is directed by Joe Wright.
Why it’s disappointing: This could stay put for this movie.
What to watch out for: Factual events are a task to present on screen and when you have amazing talents come together it’s icing on the cake. The film was derived in its finest format and was executed to its best. The beauty of “Darkest Hour” lies in its writing by Anthony McCarten. His writing was exceptional and narrative was on spot. It was perfectly packed with Joe Wright’s brilliant direction.
For instance, the very first frame Gary Oldman appears on the screen was simple but at the same time it leaves an amazing impression with the audience. He just nailed the character, there was an amazing aura which was created by him around the iconic character. One of the finest by Gary Oldman.
In the film everything becomes a character around “Winston Churchill”, like his glasses, cigar, the typewriter and most definitely the typist played by the vibrant Lily James as Elizabeth Layton was spectacular. She was so intense with her emotions and delivered a crisp performance. And was a great addition to Gary Oldman, their combination scenes were a delight to watch.
As strong were the performances so were the technical aspects of the film. The cinematography by Bruno Delbonnel was brilliant and gave a lively feel to the film. The editing by Valerio Bonelli was crisp. The score by Dario Marianelli was gripping.
Verdict: Joe Wright did a fine job in spinning in a film which was perfectly balanced with all the requisite ingredients required for a War film, and it was perfectly backed with technical brilliance. Definitely worth a watch.
