Darkest Hour Review

3.0 Stars

 

In the 1930s, Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman) spearheaded the efforts to warn about the dangers of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Germany.  British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was forced into  retirement in May of 1940 when Parliament grew tired of his lack of leadership, foresight and results against the impending War. Churchill replaced Chamberlain as Prime Minister of Great Britain, in the early days of World War II.  In the early stages of the war in 1940 and 1941, the British Empire was nearly alone in their opposition to Hitler, and Churchill's speeches and radio broadcasts were a source of inspiration in this dark time.  One of his most famous and inspirational speeches included "we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender."

Darkest Hour is the historical story of the early days of World War II as Hitler began his conquest of Western Europe.  Churchill had warned about this and now Great Britain was all but solitary in their defiance of the Nazis.  A peace treaty was proposed and it was now up to Churchill to decide what to do.  According to the treaty, Hitler would stop his war with Western Europe provided that Great Britain did not interfere with his plans to move east and conquer the USSR.  Churchill was never a fan of the treaty and felt that bold retaliation, standing their ground against the Nazis, would be their only hope of true survival.  But, Churchill faced a lack of support from his own party, and even felt the pressure to not only entertain the idea of the treaty, but to accept it or face his own removal as Prime Minister.  While battling with his doubts about the treaty, his doubts about the chances of Great Britain's survival whether they signed the treaty or not, and his own doubts about his ability to properly discern what was best for his country, Churchill took his fears and doubts to the people.  They overwhelmingly expressed their disdain for the Nazis and their resolve to never give in.  Thus, Churchill rejected the offer. 

Director Joe Wright is no stranger to epic historical and moving stories as he has already tackled Pride & Prejudice, Anna Karenina, and Atonement which earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Directing in 2008.  While Atonement did win for Best Picture, Wright lost out to Julian Schnabel who directed The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.  While neither Darkest Hour nor Joe Wright have been nominated for a Golden Globe, Oldman has been nominated for his portrayal of Winston Churchill, and an Oscar nomination is all but guaranteed as he pulled of one of those rare performances where you do not see the actor on the screen, but rather their character come to life.  While all the actors who have been nominated and won an Oscar over the last two decades have deserved their recognition, perhaps the most notable was Daniel Day-Lewis's win in 2013 for his performance as Abraham Lincoln.  Oldman accomplishes the same brilliant execution.  Not once did I notice that it was Gary Oldman, but rather I saw nothing but Sir Winston Churchill in the movie Darkest Hour.  It was inspired, flawless and genius.

Unfortunately, for me, the rest of the movie just didn't hold up to Oldman's efforts.  I expected Wright's latest work to be a moving, gripping and tense look behind the scenes of the early days of World War II.  I had high expectations for Darkest Hour and gave a 4 Star Prediction.  To me, it was slow, uninspiring, dull and dragging, especially considering the film is about one man's decision in a time that effectively helped to lead his country and the world out of one of the darkest times in world history.  It is worth watching, for Oldman's performance alone; however, if you haven't seen it already in the theatres, wait for it to come out for rent.  It's definitely worth renting, and I might watch it again, but I'm pretty sure it won't find a home in my permanent collection.  Therefore, I'm lowing my rating to 3 Stars.  So, what movie will be on my mind next? We shall see.  

 

 

Darkest Hour Preview

In the 1930s, Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman) spearheaded the efforts to warn about the dangers of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Germany.  After Neville Chamberlain's retirement in May of 1940, Churchill became Prime Minister of Great Britain, in the early days of World War II.  In the early stages of the war in 1940 and 1941, the British Empire was nearly alone in their opposition to Hitler, and Churchill's speeches and radio broadcasts were a source of inspiration in this dark time.  One of his most famous and inspirational speeches included "we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender."

Darkest Hour is the historical story of the early days of World War II as Hitler began his conquest of Western Europe.  Churchill had warned about this and now Great Britain was all but solitary in their defiance of the Nazis.  Hitler sent his Deputy Rudolph Hess to offer a peace treaty.  Hitler would stop his war with Western Europe provided that Great Britain did not interfere with his plans to move east and conquer the USSR.  While the odds were greatly stacked against him, and he faced opposition from officials in his own country who doubted his abilities, and even doubted them himself at times, Churchill rejected the offer.  He did not feel Hitler could be trusted to keep his word, and he felt that by standing firm against the Nazis, he could help keep Western Europe unified and pave the way for eventual intervention and help from the United States.

Director Joe Wright is no stranger to epic historical and moving stories as he has already tackled Pride & Prejudice, Anna Karenina, and Atonement which earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Directing in 2008.  While Atonement did win for Best Picture, Wright lost out to Julian Schnabel who directed The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.  While neither Darkest Hour nor Joe Wright have been nominated for a Golden Globe, Oldman has been nominated for his portrayal of Winston Churchill.

If the movie holds up to the preview, then Oldman indeed is worthy of the nomination in a dramatic and powerful performance.  And if Wright's previous work is a testament to what we can expect, then audiences are in for a moving, gripping and tense look behind the scenes of the early days of World War II.  I have high expectations for Darkest Hour and am giving a 4 Star Prediction.  I think it will be well worth the money in the theatres, something I'd watch again, and has a good chance of making it to my home collection.  Am I right?  We shall see.

Man Down Review

4.0 Stars  

 

Man Down is the story of U.S. Marine Gabriel Drummer (Shia LaBeouf) who fought for his country in Afghanistan only to return home to an America very different than the one he left, a post-apocalyptic hell that is no better than the war zone he just left.  Accompanied by his best friend, Drummer goes on the hunt for his missing wife Natalie (Kate Mara) and their son.

Man Down marks the return to the mainstream big screen movies for LaBeouf who has been somewhat absent since his last appearance in Transformers: Dark of the Moon in 2011.  He's done a few independent films and had some questioning his sanity at times.  I've always been a fan of his comedy style in the Transformers movies, but hearing about him playing a post-war vet in a serious drama had me concerned.  And then I saw the preview.

The preview shows a Marine raid on a house in Afghanistan.  Drummer gives the "all clear" meaning there is no threat in the house.  As the other Marines in his unit (including his best friend) walk in, a gun protrudes from a blanket on the floor and shots ring out at the unsuspecting Marines.  Drummer survived.  The preview shows Dummer talking to military counselor Peyton (Gary Oldman).  

Not only does LaBeouf pull off this dramatic role, but he is quite convincing and has been hailed by Variety who said, "Labeouf achieves that authentic, hurts-to-watch approach seldom seen since the days of Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift."  I gave Man Down a preemptive 3.5 star rating,  thinking it would be a gut-wrenching, raw, real and intense film that is well worth the money in theatres.  It was all that and more.   Through much of the movie, we are watching Gabriel Drummer in four different phases: with his wife and child before the Marines; the mission in Afghanistan, his session with counselor Peyton after "the incident", and finally back in the United States that has been destroyed as he desperately searches for his wife and child with his best friend.  All of this leads up to a shocking series of revelations that completely destroys Drummer's world . . . and his reality.  

Much of Man Down reminded me of Bradley Cooper in American Sniper, but LaBeouf goes even further and darker.  American Sniper was nominated for 6 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Actor for Cooper.  Though I don't foresee Man Down being nominated for Best Picture, it would be a crime if LaBeouf isn't recognized for this role in this tragic, gripping, heart-breaking film that earned a solid 4 stars from me.  I'll definitely be watching this again and it has a good chance of making it into my home collection.  It's a movie that anyone who has served in our military will find extremely difficult to watch, but one that the rest of us need to see.  So, what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see.

Man Down Preview

Man Down is the story of U.S. Marine Gabriel Drummer (Shia LaBeouf) fought for his country in Afghanistan only to return home to an America very different than the one he left, a post-apocalyptic hell that is no better than the war zone he just left.  Accompanied by his best friend, Drummer goes on the hunt for his missing wife Natalie (Kate Mara) and their son.

Man Down marks the return to the mainstream big screen movies for LaBeouf who has been somewhat absent since his last appearance in Transformers: Dark of the Moon in 2011.  He's done a few independent films and had some questioning his sanity at times.  I've always been a fan of his comedy style in the Transformers movies, but hearing about him playing a post-war vet in a serious drama had me concerned.  And then I saw the preview.

The preview shows a Marine raid on a house in Afghanistan.  One of the Marines gives the "all clear" meaning there is no threat in the house.  As the others walk in, a gunman hiding under a blanket is unveiled and takes out many of the Marines.  Drummer survived.  The preview shows Dummer talking to military counselor Peyton (Gary Oldman).  Not only does LaBeouf look like he can pull off this dramatic role, but he looks quite convincing and has been hailed by Variety who said, "Labeouf achieves that authentic, hurts-to-watch approach seldom seen since the days of Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift."  Hearing LaBeouf is in this kind of role would probably make me give a 2 star rating that might be bumped up with Mara and Oldman picking up the slack.  But it doesn't look like there's any slack in this film and I'm giving Man Down a preemptive 3.5 star rating.  I think it will be gut-wrenching, raw, real and intense that is well worth the theatres, I'm just not sure if I'll be running out to buy it when it's available to own.  So, am I right?  We shall see.