Darkest Hour Movie Review

Darkest Hour is set during an extremely stressful time in British history: when the Nazis were at their most powerful, rolling through Europe and threatening the United Kingdom's very existence. It focuses on Winston Churchill's (Gary Oldman) role in that military reality and the courage he found to stand by his core beliefs against all odds. Although it's set during wartime, no violence is shown beyond a bit of blood on injured soldiers (a bomb falls on soldiers, but we don't see it on-screen). In fact, rather than action and battle, the film offers lots of talk and political maneuvering, so younger viewers might have trouble sticking with it. There's also some drinking and quite a bit of smoking, which is accurate for the era.

The film is directed by Joe Wright, English film director. He is best known for Pride & Prejudice (2005), Atonement (2007), Anna Karenina (2012), and Darkest Hour (2017).

WHAT'S THE STORY?
As the Nazis rampage through Europe in DARKEST HOUR, England's political turmoil pushes the controversial, iconoclastic Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman) to the nation's top political post. His reign as prime minister is dominated by an existential dilemma: Should the vastly outgunned UK fight it out or surrender to the Germans -- saving lives and hoping for the best? His position hanging by a thread, the new leader must make perhaps the most momentous decision in British history, with the clock to invasion ticking down.

MOVIE INFO
Rating: PG-13 (for some thematic material)
Genre: Drama
Directed By: Joe Wright
Written By: Anthony McCarten
In theaters: November 22, 2017
Runtime: 114 minutes
Music: Dario Marianelli
Studio: Focus Features
Cast: Gary Oldman, Lily James, Ben Mendelsohn, Kristin Scott Thomas, Stephen Dillane, Ronald Pickup

Source: CommonSenseMedia