Darkest Hour

"Bloody typical, you wait years for a good Churchill impersonation to come along and a bunch arrive at the same time. The small screen had the superb John Lithgow in The Crown, and a few months back Brian Cox delivered the cinematic goods in Churchill. That film was all about D-Day, this one is set a few years before, in the dark days leading to the evacuation in Dunkirk. It seems we can’t get enough of this complex piss-wreck who saved the world. We see Churchill the grump, the great orator, the charming old bulldog, the sozzled superhero."

"Balances the great orator's public triumphs with more vulnerable private moments of self-doubt, elevating the inner workings of British government into a compelling piece of populist entertainment."

"Gary Oldman carries off a tremendous performance here, and it's impossible not to enjoy it."

"Not only a terrific tale in its own right, but also a brilliant companion piece to Christopher Nolan's equally excellent Dunkirk."

"Like its central character, Darkest Hour has "mobilised the English language and sent it into battle.""

"A snappy and straightforward crowd-pleaser that focuses on new Prime Minister Winston Churchill's mighty efforts to rise to the occasion of rescuing his country from the appeasers and defeatists in Parliament and stirring the public to defiance of Hitler."

"A film predicated on dialogue and performance, and in those areas it delivers completely."

"Churchill's darkest hour is Gary Oldman's finest. Gripping, touching, amusing and enlightening, his performance is the prime reason this film must be seen - but not the only one."

"It's a rousing, engaging chronicle of British politics, and also a surprisingly moving story about great leadership."