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I’ve been trying to think when there was a historical drama I found as electrifying as Joe Wright ’s “Darkest Hour.” It may have been Steven Spielberg ’s “ Munich ,” which topped my 10-best list a dozen years ago. They are very different films, of course, and it could be that Wright’s boasts stellar accomplishments in more departments. While Gary Oldman ’s phenomenal work as Winston Churchill had been heralded in advance, it is astonishingly equaled by the film’s achievements in direction, screenwriting, score and cinematography.

It’s a strange irony that the same patch of British history—a few days in the spring of 1940—has been treated in two big, Oscar-aimed 2017 movies (and even plays a role in a third film from earlier this year, “ Their Finest ”). In various ways, Wright’s film and Christopher Nolan ’s “ Dunkirk ” are instructive companion pieces, with different aims that effectively orient them toward different audiences. “Dunkirk” imagines the evacuation of British troops under the onslaught of Nazi forces in a way that puts sensation over sense; it says nothing of the event’s historical context or import. Indeed, it could have been made with all action and no words, where “Darkest Hour” is all about words, words-as-action and this seminal event’s meaning to our world. It asks you to engage intellectually, not just viscerally.

But if it’s a history lesson, it’s one that plays like a tightly wound, pulse-pounding thriller. And why not: the decisions it depicts may have determined the fate of the world. The action takes place from May 8 to June 4, 1940 (the film regularly slams the dates at us in big block letters), and is framed by two important addresses in the House of Commons, the “Norway Debate” and Churchill’s rousing, epochal “We shall fight them on the beaches” speech. In between, Churchill becomes Prime Minister, because he’s the only member of his party acceptable to the opposition, and then rallies the country to fight Hitler when other politicians want to strike a deal with him.

Understanding the importance of this story’s events is not terribly easy now because it’s difficult to look at the world of 1940 as people did then. The Germans may have subjugated several European countries, but the coming slaughter of the continent’s Jews was still unsuspected, and Hitler was widely seen as a very effective authoritarian ruler (a quality that some non-Germans beset with dithering democrats frankly admired) rather than a murderous madman. Churchill’s virtue in this moment was to see the truth more clearly than others did, and to understand both the absolute necessity and the arduous difficulty of fighting the Nazi regime to the death.

The film’s title is entirely accurate. With the Germans threatening to obliterate Britain’s army prior to the Dunkirk evacuation (which is alluded to rather than shown here), and Churchill soon to hear Franklin Roosevelt decline to help the Brits due to the anti-interventionist sentiment in Congress, the United Kingdom was at a very dark and lonely place indeed. It’s no wonder that Churchill’s main opponents in this drama, Neville Chamberlain ( Ronald Pickup ) and Lord Halifax ( Stephen Dillane ), encouraged having Mussolini negotiate a deal with Hitler that might have spared Britain from invasion and potential mass slaughter. Even King George VI ( Ben Mendelsohn ), before being won over to Churchill’s viewpoint, was amenable to dealing with the devil.

The Winston Churchill we see here is no cartoon hero or plaster saint. As the recent, wretched “ Churchill ” (which was as roundly denounced by historians and Churchill experts as “Darkest Hour” has been praised) did, Wright’s film notes the dark stain on the leader’s public career that the battle of Gallipoli in World War I represented, but doesn’t make it a psychological millstone. “Darkest Hour” likewise frequently shows us its protagonist from the viewpoints of his acerbic though supportive wife, Clemmie (the brilliant Kristin Scott Thomas ), and his young, endlessly put-upon secretary, Elizabeth ( Lily James ). Yet the freshness of this film’s portrayal begins with the dramatic sharpness and historical intelligence of Anthony McCarten ’s script, which gives us a Churchill who is drawn into dynamic action by the looming shadow of Hitler’s evil.

After charting the perilous political waters, he must navigate to gain the support of his war cabinet, the film climaxes with a sublime invention: a scene in which Churchill, on the way to Parliament, bounds out of his traffic-bound limousine, hops on the Underground and listens to a car full of average Londoners voice their support for his war aims. As corny as this may sound, it’s an entirely appropriate way of registering the kind of popular backing, even affection, that Churchill enjoyed during wartime (he was voted out of office as soon as the war ended), and it works in part due to the spunky charm and thoroughgoing excellence of Gary Oldman’s performance, which deserves every award it will inevitably win.

A kindred excellence characterizes the striking collaboration between Joe Wright and cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel , who together give the film a very nuanced and engaging balance of light and shadow, eloquent movement and meditative stasis. For my money, Delbonnel’s work surpasses even “Dunkirk” to emerge as the best cinematography of the year so far. Wright’s team also benefits from the understated lyricism of Dario Marianelli ’s score.

The events leading up to the charged drama we see in “Darkest Hour” have not been totally forgotten, of course. The name of Neville Chamberlain, Churchill’s predecessor, will forever be associated with the term “appeasement,” which these days hardliners use at every opportunity to denounce attempts to negotiate with objectionable regimes and rulers. But Wright’s film indirectly makes the point that not every tinpot dictator is a Hitler nor is every posturing, hawkish politician a Churchill. Certain times and men are indeed exceptional, which is why a movie like “Darkest Hour” itself stands apart from more routine historical dramas.

Godfrey Cheshire

Godfrey Cheshire is a film critic, journalist and filmmaker based in New York City. He has written for The New York Times, Variety, Film Comment, The Village Voice, Interview, Cineaste and other publications.

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Darkest Hour (2017)

114 minutes

Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill

Lily James as Elizabeth Layton

Ben Mendelsohn as King George VI

Kristin Scott Thomas as Clementine Churchill

Richard Lumsden as General Ismay

Stephen Dillane as Viscount Halifax

Samuel West as Sir Anthony Eden

Jordan Waller as Randolph Churchill

Ronald Pickup as Neville Chamberlain

• Anthony McCarten
• Dario Marianelli

Cinematography

• Bruno Delbonnel
• Valerio Bonelli

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Film Review: ‘Darkest Hour’

Hidden behind fake jowls and a receding hairline, Gary Oldman delivers one of the great performances of his career as Winston Churchill.

By Peter Debruge

Peter Debruge

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With all due respect to Christopher Nolan, no filmmaker has captured the evacuation of Dunkirk better than Joe Wright , who evoked the sheer scale of England’s finest hour via a five-minute tracking shot in “Atonement.” Now, with “Darkest Hour,” Wright returns to show the other side of the operation. Set during the crucial early days of Winston Churchill’s first term as prime minister, this talky yet stunningly cinematic history lesson 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.

Whereas Nolan’s “Dunkirk” so thrillingly illustrated the military rescue at Dunkirk, all but banishing Churchill to a newspaper article read aloud at the end of the film, “Darkest Hour” spends nearly every scene at the prime minister’s side — except for the first couple, during which Churchill is dramatically absent, represented only by the bowler hat left behind in his empty seat in the House of Commons.

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Wright introduces Churchill a few minutes later, sitting in the dark of his own bedroom, illuminated only by the match he strikes to light his signature cigar. The face that appears belongs to Gary Oldman , all but unrecognizable beneath Kazuhiro Tsuji’s jowly prosthetic makeup and thinning white hair. Upon closer examination, the eyes are unmistakably Oldman’s: alert, intense and aggressively intelligent. The resulting performance is unlike anything Oldman has previously delivered, in part because this time, the character is one we presume to know so well from archival footage, photographs and radio recordings. And yet, the master actor rejects mere mimicry, constructing from the ground up a full-bodied and impressively nuanced version of the historical figure.

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Beginning on May 9, 1940, and ticking away the days to Operation Dynamo in bold block letters, “Darkest Hour” begins as France and Belgium are on the brink of surrendering to Hitler. Parliament has lost confidence in Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain (Ronald Pickup), who has terminal cancer and tenders his resignation directly to King George (Ben Mendelsohn). Churchill wasn’t his party’s first choice, but he was the only conservative of whom the opposition approved, in part because he had flip-flopped between both parties over the previous decade.

That flexibility was one of his greatest assets — or so believes his wife Clementine (Kristin Scott Thomas, a strong force in a few small but impactful scenes) — and the reason he was able to build a coalition government in this time of crisis. And yet, Churchill was also a man of conviction, and the movie paints him as the lone politician willing to defy Hitler and to declare war “at any cost” if necessary, when so many wanted to seek peace — or were otherwise unwilling to repeat the bloodshed of the Great War that had cost the U.K. so dearly just two decades earlier.

Arriving at a moment when screens are virtually saturated with Churchill portrayals — ranging from John Lithgow’s turn on “The Crown” to theatrical offerings starring Brian Cox and Michael Gambon — “Darkest Hour” is by far the most cinematic, this despite Anthony McCarten’s script , so eloquently theatrical that it conceivably could have been performed on a blank stage. Wright is both a virtuoso filmmaker and a natural showman, interpreting the screenplay as no other director could have possibly imagined it. Since his very first feature, 2005’s “Pride & Prejudice,” he has been reinventing the rules of how period pieces ought to be shot, and “Darkest Hour” is no different.

Dialing things back from his relatively garish adaptations of “Anna Karenina” and “Pan,” this more elegant film’s style brilliantly marries the classical with the cutting-edge, relying on regular composer Dario Marianelli and his swirling, march-like motifs for much of its energy. Working for the first time with DP Bruno Delbonnel, Wright frames the House of Commons from angles that suggest 18th-century painting, and pushes the contrast to such an extreme that the look — with its deep shadows and near-blinding highlights — recalls black-and-white films of the era. At the same time, he innovates, breaking from the walk-and-talk political-drama template introduced by “The West Wing” (from which “House of Cards” and so many others still borrow) in favor of a more dynamic, omniscient camera, with which he navigates the halls of power.

Apart from a few high-concept overhead views of the front itself (including one especially stunning shot in which bombs erupt on a stretch of terrain that seamlessly fades into the corpse of a fallen soldier), “Darkest Hour” takes place in an entirely different sphere of action, its locations ranging from the bunker-like cabinet war rooms beneath Westminster Palace to Churchill’s own private residence — all impressively recreated without drawing undue attention to the production design. The idea here is that the audience has complete, unrestricted access to Churchill during these critical days, at one point even following him into a private room from which he calls U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose hands are tied by recent neutrality agreements.

Churchill may be prime minister, but his power is blocked by the leaders of both parties, who are scheming to undermine him, lest he agree to talk peace with Italy’s Benito Mussolini. Meanwhile, Churchill has self-confidence issues of his own — and in these he is supported by the young typist (Lily James) to whom he dictates his various letters and speeches.

Unfortunately, this particular chapter in history has been so thoroughly dramatized in recent years that many of the finest moments in “Darkest Hours” echo elements from other films. For example, “Churchill” (released earlier this summer) offers the wife and secretary characters meatier roles, and a key scene in which the prime minster goes on the radio to address the nation too closely resembles “The King’s Speech” (although it should be said that Mendelson’s portrayal of George VI improves upon Colin Firth’s in some ways).

Even so, familiarity does nothing to diminish the power of Churchill’s well-known speeches — to the extent that some audience members may find themselves mouthing the words in unison, as James’ character does from the sidelines. And McCarten creates an entirely original, if borderline-corny sequence set in the London Underground, during which Churchill interfaces directly with his constituents, regardless of race or class. His actual policies were far less progressive, but for the sake of this stirring bit of political revisionism, it swells the heart to see Churchill bonding with the black man who finishes his Shakespearean quotation. In actuality, Churchill wrote his own history, and here, Wright and McCarten have re-drafted it even more emphatically in his favor. But Oldman makes him human, and his performance gives us ample room to reevaluate the iconic figure.

Reviewed at Telluride Film Festival, Sept. 1, 2017. (Also in Toronto Film Festival — Gala Presentation.) MPAA Rating: TK. Running time: 125 MIN.

• Production: (U.K.) A Focus Features release, presented in association with Perfect World Pictures, of a Working Title production. Producers: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce, Anthony McCarten, Douglas Urbanski. Executive producers: James Biddle, Lucas Webb, Liza Chasin.
• Crew: Director: Joe Wright. Screenplay: Anthony McCarten. Camera (color): Bruno Delbonnel. Editor: Valerio Bonelli. Music: Dario Marianelli.
• With: Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ben Mendelsohn, Lily James, Ronald Pickup, Stephen Dillane, Nicholas Jones, Samuel West, David Schofield, Richard Lumsden, Malcolm Storry. (English, French dialogue)

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Review: ‘Darkest Hour,’ or the Great Man Theory of History (and Acting)

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By A.O. Scott

• Nov. 21, 2017

In the late spring of 1940, German forces invaded Belgium and France and pushed most of the British army onto a beach in the French coastal town of Dunkirk. Neville Chamberlain, the British prime minister best known (then and still) for his policy of appeasing Hitler, was replaced by Winston Churchill, whose first weeks as head of the government — culminating in the Dunkirk evacuation — are the subject of “Darkest Hour,” Joe Wright’s new film. (The evacuation itself was reconstructed in Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk,” released in July.)

Considered as history, “Darkest Hour,” written by Anthony McCarten (“The Theory of Everything”), offers the public a few new insights and details about the practice of statecraft in a time of crisis. Churchill is disliked by many of his colleagues in the Conservative Party (notably Chamberlain and his vulpine sidekick, Viscount Halifax) and distrusted by King George VI. The political situation is shaky, the military reports dire. The new prime minister, a man of large emotions and larger appetites, who drinks whiskey with breakfast and is rarely without a cigar, is plagued by frustration and doubt as he tries to navigate between two bad options. Will Britain enter into a ruinous war or submit to humiliating and most likely temporary peace on terms dictated by Hitler?

The contours of this story are reasonably familiar. The outcome even more so. (Just in case, a helpful text before the final credits reminds us that Germany eventually lost the war.) Churchill himself is among the most revered and studied figures of 20th-century history: a synonym for leadership; a great man in an age of monsters; a source of pithy quotations, some of which he actually said ; an example to be cited by political mediocrities in need of an ego boost.

And, of course, an irresistible role for actors of every shape and size. (His American counterpart in this regard is not Franklin D. Roosevelt, Churchill’s partner and peer, but Lyndon B. Johnson, who also possessed impressive jowls and a colorful way with words.) Gary Oldman, aided by diligent makeup artists and propelled by his own unmatched craft and discipline, embraces the task with almost palpable delight. The challenges facing Churchill are of lethal seriousness, but the key to his effectiveness is his capacity for pleasure. He enjoys the push and pull of politics, the intellectual labor of problem-solving and the daily adventure of being himself. In grasping that joy, Mr. Oldman partakes of it and passes it along to the audience. He is having fun, playing the part in every sense. And his blustery, blubbery charm, backed as it is by a sly and acute intelligence, is hard to resist.

Apart from Halifax and Chamberlain, desiccated aristo puddings played by Stephen Dillane and Ronald Pickup, nobody makes much of an effort. Churchill is regarded with frank adoration by the camera and by the people, the women in particular, charged with the tasks of attending and indulging him. Kristin Scott Thomas is his wife, Clementine Churchill, a woman of brisk confidence and ironic disposition who long ago made peace with her secondary place in his public life. Lily James is his secretary, Elizabeth Layton, a clever and wide-eyed English rose who types Churchill’s correspondence and chastely buoys his morale at difficult moments.

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‘darkest hour’: film review | telluride 2017.

Joe Wright's 'Darkest Hour' stars Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill during his early days as prime minister at the beginning of World War II.

By Todd McCarthy

Todd McCarthy

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Conveniently arriving in the wake of one of the biggest and best-received films of the year, Dunkirk, Darkest Hour shows what was simultaneously going on in the halls of power on the other side of the Channel while Britain’s armed forces were on the verge of being wiped out in May 1940. Recovering from the fiasco that was Pan, director Joe Wright has made 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 Adolf Hitler. Subtle and nuanced the film is not, but Gary Oldman’s robust performance will help put it over as a solid performer upon its Nov. 22 release.

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The public appetite for all things Churchillian has certainly been increased of late due to the great success of Netflix’s series The Crown and John Lithgow’s vastly entertaining performance as the significantly older Sir Winston in his waning years of power. The far more slim and slight Gary Oldman is certainly not the first person one would think of to cast in the role, but he throws himself into the part with vigor and enthusiasm and you have to hand it to an actor who can convincingly play both Sid Vicious and, with the assistance of some pretty wondrous prosthetic makeup, Winston Churchill in the course of his career.

Release date: Nov 22, 2017

The screenplay by Anthony McCarten ( The Theory of Everything ) covers the weeks between Churchill’s ascension to leadership in the wake of previous Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s appeasement policy of Hitler to Churchill’s celebrated “We shall fight!” speech in Parliament that roused the public to the imperatives of national defense against fascism.

Although the film is obliged to stick close to the historical record in telling this world-turning story, it’s clear from the outset that the writer, director and actor intend to inject as much amusement value into the piece as possible; they first show a cranky Churchill in bed breakfasting on whiskey, eggs, a cigar and champagne and inadvertently exposing his nether-regions beneath his bed shirt to his nervous new secretary, Elizabeth (Lily James).

Whereas The Crown has been acute, subtle, nuanced and satisfyingly insider-ish in its presentation of the private doings of Britain’s ruling elite, Darkest Hour paints with a broader brush as it reveals a ruling hierarchy dominated by appeasers — including not only Chamberlain but the darkly motivated Viscount Halifax (Stephen Dillane ) and the Churchill-disdaining King George VI (Ben Mendelsohn ).

Compared to how he’s presented in many other biographical accounts, Churchill here appears to be startlingly unprepared upon being confronted with the nation’s dire threat to its national security and survival. This is the man who had through the 1930s earned the scorn of most politicians for his endless warnings about the growing German military machine and was still mistrusted due to his Gallipoli fiasco of World War I.

His first speech to Parliament is not well received and, with news from Europe getting worse by the day, the government essentially moves underground to beehive quarters where Churchill endures contentious meetings with his war council, which, led by Halifax, is close to drawing to a consensus on negotiating terms with Hitler via Mussolini. The 300,000 British troops being pushed to the sea at Dunkirk are beginning to look doomed, and there is a shocking phone call one night in which Churchill fruitlessly begs for help from U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose hands are tied by the nation’s neutrality.

McCarten’s scene writing is tart and efficient, and Wright infuses the drama with unquestioned energy. But this is a film in which every point and meaning is hit directly on the nose; understatement is nowhere to be found in a work that makes sure to stage at least one scene in which the prime minister is taking a dump and numerous others in which he rants and raves, sometimes while clearly drunk.

Oldman enthusiastically plays right into this with a boisterous performance that, physically and vocally, may not match up precisely with the Churchill the public can still behold in any number of vintage newsreels and recordings but which, ironically, may help win the old lion a new generation of fans.

This effect may be boosted by a hokey but key invented scene in which the prime minister, who has been close to capitulation to the defeatist faction, goes rogue and jumps on the tube the morning of his big speech to Parliament. Here, he gets the boost he needs from ordinary people, who inspire him with their defiant attitudes toward the Nazis and their determination to fight, to keep the barbarians from their island. Thus inspired, Churchill gives his most famous speech and the tide of history begins to turn.

The important supporting performances are one-dimensional but well handled. Ronald Pickup is right on the nose playing the dying Chamberlain (Pickup stepped into the role at the last minute when the originally cast John Hurt died just before production started), while Kristin Scott Thomas breezes into a few scenes to show how completely Churchill’s wife Clemmie understood her often difficult but brilliant husband. James’ role is entirely functional, although very helpfully so in one instance.

Production values are solid, although Dario Marianelli’s score is intrusive in many instances, laying on the obvious when less could have been more. The film’s actual depiction of Dunkirk is limited to one shot of dozens of boats sailing away from the white cliffs toward France, and there is nothing in this film remotely as exceptional as the jaw-dropping take Wright pulled off in Atonement that evoked the experience of Dunkirk in a single extended shot. 

Production company: Working Title Films Distributor: Focus Features Cast: Gary Oldman , Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily James, Stephen Dillane, Ronald Pickup, Samuel West, Ben Mendelsohn, Ronald Pickup, Hannah Steele Director: Joe Wright Screenwriter: Anthony McCarten Producers: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce, Anthony McCarten, Douglas Urbanski Executive producers: James Biddle, Lucas Webb, Liza Chasin Director of photography: Bruno Delbonnel Production designer: Sarah Greenwood Costume designer: Jacqueline Durran Editor: Valerio Bonelli Music: Dario Marianelli Casting: Jina Jay Venue: Telluride Film Festival

125 minutes

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Darkest Hour Review

Dunkirk: episode i - the nazi menace..

Gary Oldman gives an impeccable performance as Winston Churchill in a gorgeously photographed, suspenseful World War II film that suffers from too much hero worship.

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Darkest Hour: History vs. Hollywood

Had Churchill really supported the King's brother Edward VIII's decision to abdicate the throne to marry divorcee Wallis Simpson?

Churchill had supported King Edward VIII during the Abdication Crisis, a decision that indeed hurt his reputation in the government. However, the Darkest Hour true story reveals that he did not want to see the King abdicate. Instead, he pushed for more time so that Parliament and the people could be consulted, even suggesting that if given more time, the King might fall out of love with the twice-divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson. Churchill believed that the Ministry was putting unconstitutional pressure on the King to make a rushed decision and feared that it would result in him unnecessarily giving up the throne. Despite the working class and veterans showing overwhelming support for the King, Churchill's position left his reputation damaged. The Abdication and its royal and political aftermath are addressed more closely in the Netflix series The Crown , which we've also researched. Actor Gary Oldman (left) portrays Winston Churchill in The Darkest Hour movie. Winston Churchill (right) pictured while on a trip to the United States in 1941.

Why exactly did Neville Chamberlain resign as British Prime Minister?

Neville Chamberlain, Winston Churchill's predecessor, resigned due to a loss of confidence in his foreign policy after the Allies were forced to retreat from Norway, which resulted in the occupation of Norway by Germany. Chamberlain had been leading Britain in what had become known as the Phoney War. Despite Britain and France signing military assistance treaties with Poland, neither country had launched significant offensive operations after Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Winston Churchill wanted to take the war into a more active phase, unlike Chamberlain, who was better suited to be a peacetime leader. He had left the country ill-prepared for war. In addition, the Labour and Liberal parties refused to join the government while Chamberlain was in charge. While researching to answer the question, "How accurate is the Darkest Hour ?" we learned that Neville Chamberlain did have cancer (colon cancer) and he died from it later that year. He had been in almost constant pain by the summer of 1940, so the scene where he's taking morphine makes sense. Winston Churchill delivered the eulogy at his funeral.

In the spring of 1940, was confidence in Churchill really as low as it is portrayed to be in the movie?

Yes. With his success in WWII, it is easy to assume Winston Churchill always had universal support. However, the Darkest Hour true story confirms that confidence in Churchill was indeed extremely shaky when he first took office. He had been Lord of the Admiralty under Chamberlain and was viewed as being largely responsible for the strategic failures in Norway. In addition, many had not forgotten his role in the disastrous Gallipoli Campaign during World War I, which resulted in him being demoted before resigning from the government for a short time. A lot of his counterparts in the Conservative Party thought he was an opportunist, and like in the movie, they preferred Lord Halifax instead. Churchill also faced staunch resistance from his rivals in Cabinet and in the opposition parties in general. Listen to his first speech as Prime Minister to the House of Commons , during which he promises that he has nothing to offer but "blood, toil, tears and sweat." Winston Churchill (right) flashes the victory sign. Gary Oldman (left) mimics the gesture in the movie.

Was Churchill often mean to his staff?

Yes. In the Darkest Hour movie , Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman) scolds his personal secretary Elizabeth Layton (Lily James) for hearing him wrong and dictating the incorrect word. It's her first day working for him and his harshness scares her off. It was indeed hard to understand Churchill until you got used to how he spoke, and even harder over the sound of the typewriter. As in the film, he did not like changes in staff, nor did he like noisy typewriters. The real Elizabeth Layton did accidentally have the typewriter set to single-spacing, for which he called her a "a fool, a mug, an idiot" and told her to leave his presence. In real life, she did not try again for a few days. His demeanor with his staff is accurately depicted and his wife Clementine did get after him for it, even writing him a letter telling him to treat them better. The real Elizabeth Layton confirmed Churchill's coarse ways in her 1958 memoir Mr. Churchill's Secretary , writing, "[T]hat great man - who could at any time be impatient, kind, irritable, crushing, generous, inspiring, difficult, alarming, amusing, unpredictable, considerate, seemingly impossible to please, charming, demanding, inconsiderate, quick to anger and quick to forgive - was unforgettable. One loved him with a deep devotion. Difficult to work for - yes, mostly; loveable - always; amusing - without fail." The real Elizabeth Layton (pictured on the right during the war years) really did get scolded by Churchill on her first day for accidentally typing the dictation single-spaced. Lily James (left) portrays Layton in the movie.

Was Churchill's personal secretary, Elizabeth Layton, at his side during the events depicted in the film?

No, her role in the film is fictional. According to her obituary, she didn't become Winston Churchill's personal secretary until May 5, 1941, at the height of the Blitz. This was a year after the events in the movie. However, it's not hard to see why they included her in the film. She was his personal secretary and a close companion throughout most of the war, and indeed spent long hours with him in the subterranean Cabinet War Rooms. She detailed much of her experience in her 1958 book of memoirs, Mr. Churchill's Secretary , later re-titled Winston Churchill by his Personal Secretary . While fact-checking the Darkest Hour , we learned that, like in the movie, the real Elizabeth Layton took notes by his bedside and accompanied him in his official car as she juggled a pen, paper, matches, his cigars, and the ministerial black box. It didn't take long for her to realize that he had "a loving heart," despite how difficult he could be. She was indeed fascinated by Churchill's ability as a writer and orator, commenting, "Sometimes his voice would become thick with emotion, and occasionally a tear would run down his cheek. As inspiration came to him, he would gesture with his hands, just as one knew he would be doing when he delivered his speech, and the sentences would roll out with so much feeling that one died with the soldiers, toiled with the workers, hated the enemy, strained for victory." It's true that Elizabeth Layton was unmarried during the war. She met her husband, Frans Nel, during the victory celebrations in Whitehall in 1945. Her final wartime task was to take dictation for Churchill's historic VE-Day speech that he delivered on May 8, 1945. Mr. Churchill's Secretary (re-titled Winston Churchill by his Personal Secretary) was written by the real-life Elizabeth Nel (formerly Layton) and offers an inside look at Churchill from the woman who worked by his side during the war years of 1941-1945.

Why didn't Viscount Halifax want to be Prime Minister?

In researching the Darkest Hour true story, we confirmed that there was indeed widespread support for Halifax (portrayed by Stephen Dillane) to step in as Prime Minister upon the resignation of Neville Chamberlain on May 10, 1940, but Halifax declined the position. His role in the House of Lords was given as the official reason. In reality, he lacked enough support from the Labour Party and also felt that Churchill would be a more suitable leader during wartime. He believed that he would largely lose his voice should he step into the role himself, especially since Churchill would still be First Lord of the Admiralty and orchestrating the conduct of the war anyway. In his memoirs, Halifax stated: I had no doubt at all in my own mind that for me to succeed him would create a quite impossible situation. Apart altogether from Churchill's qualities as compared with my own at this particular juncture, what would in fact be my position? Churchill would be running Defence, and in this connexion one could not but remember the relationship between Asquith and Lloyd George had broken down in the first war... I should speedily become a more or less honorary Prime Minister, living in a kind of twilight just outside the things that really mattered.

Was Churchill's wife Clementine really as central of a figure in his life?

Yes. Their loving relationship is accurately depicted in the movie. He affectionately called her "Cat" and her pet name for him was "Pig" (or occasionally "Pug"). It's also true that their relationship and family in general took a backseat to his life in politics. In the movie, Clementine accurately describes the toll it took on the family when she is at home toasting his appointment as PM. -The Telegraph Despite Winston Churchill's wife Clementine coming in second to politics, she remained an unwavering constant who always stood by him.

Churchill's wife says they're broke. Was that true?

In answering the question, "How accurate is the Darkest Hour ?" we discovered that Churchill's expensive tastes indeed put a strain on the family's finances. In the movie, Clementine (Kristin Scott Thomas) tells him they're broke. His penchant for cigars and fine liquor did not come cheap. He also was paying to maintain their country home in Chartwell. Churchill had earned well as a journalist, but it wasn't until the publication of his memoirs of the Second World War that he found true financial independence. The memoirs were the main reason he won the Nobel Prize for Literature. -TIME The Gathering Storm is the first volume of Winston Churchill's bestselling memoirs about the Second World War.

Did they really meet in the underground War Rooms?

Not exactly. The real underground bunker known as the War Rooms were located near Parliament and functioned as part map room and part air-raid shelter. However, the movie's use of them by Churchill in May of 1940 is fictional. "There's a slight inaccuracy because the war rooms, although they were opened at the end of August 1939, were not used by Churchill after he became Prime Minister until September 1940 because there were no bombing raids," says Phil Reed, the Darkest Hour 's historical adviser and director emeritus of the Churchill War Rooms, which are now a museum. "It was meant to be a place he could meet in safety during a bombing raid—although they most certainly weren't safe." -TIME The movie does do a good job at getting some of the smaller details right. During the heated discussions in the film, Churchill can be seen tapping his signet ring on the arm of his chair. If you visit the War Rooms today, Churchill's chair is behind glass. A closer examination reveals that on the arm of the chair are scratches from where he tapped his ring, albeit at a later point in time than depicted in the movie. -The Telegraph

Did Churchill get into heated discussions with Halifax during meetings of the War Cabinet?

Yes, but the movie seems to dramatize the emotions a bit, which erupt into all-out shouting matches in the film. Fact-checking The Darkest Hour confirmed that voices did emerge in corners of the War Cabinet suggesting coming to terms with Germany, and the biggest voice in favor was indeed that of Churchill's Foreign Secretary, Viscount Halifax. He even threatened to resign should there be no attempt made to negotiate peace terms with Germany. Like in the film, Viscount Halifax and Neville Chamberlain wanted Britain to enter into peace negotiations through Mussolini's intermediaries. In attempting to stand his ground, Churchill bore an enormous weight on his shoulders during the month of May 1940 and this is conveyed rather effectively in the movie. "Until the time that Lord Halifax and Chamberlain decided that there was to be no parlay with the Italians, I just can't conceive of what he was carrying on his shoulders. I can't conceive it," says Churchill's grandson, Nicholas Soames. The battles between Prime Minister Churchill and Foreign Secretary Halifax are referred to collectively as the May 1940 War Cabinet Crisis. -The Telegraph The heated arguments between Viscount Halifax and Churchill during the War Cabinet meetings in the movie weren't quite as volatile in real life. Stephen Dillane (left) portrays Halifax in the movie and the real Halifax is on the right.

Did Churchill really become increasingly indecisive about standing his ground against entering into peace negotiations with Germany?

No. Though Churchill admitted guardedly and behind closed doors that he would consider terms presented by Germany, the Darkest Hour true story reveals that he wasn't on the verge of seeking them. Instead, he was likely trying to buy time until British forces were successfully evacuated from Dunkirk. There wasn't a nail-biting decision to stand his ground like in the movie, and he was far more decisive than he is depicted. Churchill by then knew that Hitler could not be trusted, and if Britain was to fight a resistance campaign against German occupation, capitulation would be both a moral surrender and a crushing blow to any attempt at unifying the country. On May 28, 1940, Churchill instructed his War Cabinet "that every man of you would rise up and tear me down from my place if I were for one moment to contemplate parley or surrender. If this long island story of ours is to end at last, let it end only when each one of us lies choking in his own blood upon the ground." -National Review The real Winston Churchill (right) was more decisive than the movie portrays. Gary Oldman (left) as Churchill in the Darkest Hour movie.

Did Churchill really make a late-night phone call to President Roosevelt, pleading for help?

It's true that at that point in the spring of 1940, most Americans wanted no part of Europe's war. However, it's unlikely the late-night call ever happened, specifically because that direct scrambled phone line didn't exist until 1943 ( Slate.com ). In the Darkest Hour movie, Churchill asks Roosevelt for the ships Britain bought, "We paid for them . . . with the money that we borrowed from you." Roosevelt reminds him that by law the United States cannot come to Britain's rescue. The scene ends with Churchill slamming the phone down in frustration. It certainly captures the desperation Britain felt as Hitler's grasp was tightening around its neck. -National Review Above: Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin D. Roosevelt pictured at the White House in 1941. The phone call basically verbalizes the real May 15, 1940 letter that Prime Minister Churchill wrote to President Roosevelt, in which he asks for "the loan of forty or fifty of your older destroyers", "several hundred of the latest types of aircraft", "anti-aircraft equipment and ammunition", and "steel". In the letter, he emphasizes the dire situation in Europe and the need for the United States to help. "But I trust you realize, Mr. President, that the voice and force of the United States may count for nothing if they are withheld too long." Read the full text of Churchill's May 15 Letter to Roosevelt . Churchill had been writing Roosevelt ever since he had become First Lord of the Admiralty on September 3, 1939. Four days after penning the letter to Roosevelt, Churchill also stressed the need for more airplanes, tanks and guns in his "Be Ye Men of Valour" radio address , which is heard in the movie.

Did Elizabeth Layton's brother really die while fighting in France?

No. In the movie, Churchill (Gary Oldman) learns that the brother of personal secretary Elizabeth Layton (Lily James) has died fighting in France. It's a moving moment in the film, as Churchill is visibly filled with emotion but at the same time amazed at the bravery in Layton's face as she carries on. Nowhere in her memoir, titled Winston Churchill by his Personal Secretary , does Layton mention her brother dying. Instead, she mentions Churchill arranging for her to spend time at her brother's home in Canada later while they were on a mid-war trip to the United States. Layton also had a sister who migrated to South Africa to join her after the war (Layton married South African Lieutenant Frans Nel in 1945).

Did a late-night meeting result in Churchill and King George VI becoming friends?

No. In fact-checking The Darkest Hour , we discovered that while it's true that King George VI was not always a fan of Churchill, their friendship took much longer to develop in real life. The process is sped up for the movie. The king's consoling visit makes sense artistically, but given that it took the length of the war for them to develop a mutual respect and fondness for one another in real life, the scene doesn't make sense chronologically. It is true that the two had a great deal in common. For instance, when Churchill tells the king about his parents, it's believable that this could have arose in their Monday meetings. They were both brought up by glamorous mothers and bad-tempered fathers. Both exhibited bravery when they served in the Great War. At the end of WWII, King George wrote Churchill a touching letter telling him that he was banned from joining the troops on D-Day, since the risk to his life was too great. -The Telegraph The King's late-night visit with Churchill never happened in real-life, nor did the immediate friendship that was created because of it.

Did Winston Churchill ride the London Underground to get a sense of the mood of ordinary Brits in relation to the war?

No. In the movie, after King George (Ben Mendelsohn) pays Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman) a late-night visit and suggests that he go to the people, Churchill decides to take a ride on the London Underground to discover how ordinary Brits feel about potentially entering into peace negotiations with Germany. Despite this being one of the more moving moments in the movie, it's also one of the more far-fetched ones, as there is little evidence to support that anything similar happened. -The Telegraph Director Joe Wright called the scene a "fictionalization of an emotional truth," reasoning that Churchill was known to go AWOL at times. "They didn't know where he went," said Wright. "And he was also known to go and visit the people of London and seek their counsel, and have a little cry with them sometimes." In admitting the scene is fiction, Wright says that he made sure to be most factual when it came to the characters themselves, who could not defend themselves against historical inaccuracies. In real life, the only time Churchill had reportedly ever ridden on the Underground was during the general strike of 1926. -CinemaBlend.com Implying that Londoners Churchill met gave him the words he would use in his most defining speech misrepresents him as a leader. He was not the people's puppet. He felt that God had placed him on Earth to lead the British people. He would later write, "At last I had the authority to give directions over the whole scene. I felt as if I were walking with destiny, and all my past life had been but a preparation for this hour and for this trial. . . . I was sure I should not fail." -National Review Unlike the Darkest Hour movie, the real Winston Churchill never rode the London Underground to get advice from the citizens.

Did Gary Oldman gain weight to look more like Winston Churchill?

No. Instead, Gary Oldman recruited legendary makeup artist Kazuhiro Tsuji, who had retired from doing makeup for movies. Tsuji had previously worked on well-known films like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), Planet of the Apes (2001) and How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000). Oldman, who is almost 60, said that at his age he knew it would be especially unhealthy to put on 50 or 60 pounds for the role. For 48 days of consecutive shooting, the fat suit, clothes and makeup took just under four hours to put on and almost an hour to take off. Oldman told Graham Norton that he got nicotine poisoning on the set from smoking roughly twelve cigars a day in order to portray Winston Churchill. "I went through $30,000 of cigars on the set," said Oldman. "I basically had a bad stomach for the three months I was on [the set]." By Christmas, his stomach problems had persisted for so long that he found himself having a colonoscopy done. Oldman says it's a price to pay but it was worth it. It took four hours for makeup artist Kazuhiro Tsuji to make Gary Oldman look like Winston Churchill. Oldman is pictured without makeup (inset).

Broaden your understanding of the Darkest Hour true story by listening to Winston Churchill's real speeches below, which Gary Oldman recreated in the movie.

• Churchill's May 15, 1940 Letter to President Roosevelt Asking for Help
• Darkest Hour Official Movie Website

'Darkest Hour' Review: Gary Oldman Gives The Best Performance Of His Career [TIFF]

It's been a surprisingly big year for Dunkirk. Earlier this year, Lone Scherfig's Their Finest and Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk both told stories about the evacuation of British troops from the beach at Dunkirk during World War II. Now Joe Wright , who also chronicled the events of Dunkirk in Atonement , tells yet another version of this story with Darkest Hour . Darkest Hour is the behind-the-scenes look at not so much the evacuation itself, but the events leading up the evacuation. The film's main focus is British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Like Steven Spielberg's Lincoln , Darkest Hour isn't so much a biopic of a famous politician but rather a week-in-the-life type tale. As the film opens, parliament has lost faith in Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain ( Ronald Pickup ) for underestimating the nazi threat. Chamberlain is forced to resign, and the only man the parties seem to be willing to back is Churchill. But while he may have party support, Churchill will soon find his new position is even more challenging than he could've imagined. Gary Oldman plays Churchill, and he is indeed as magnificent as you've likely already heard. This likely won't come as much of a surprise, since Oldman is one of our great living actors, ut this may be his finest performance to date. Buried in makeup that's never distracting, Oldman becomes Churchill. There's plenty of opportunities here for the actor to go over-the-top, yet he finds just the right balance between Churchill's fiery continence and his quiet self-doubt. Darkest Hour runs the risk of falling into standard historical drama territory, but Wright and screenwriter Anthony McCarten work hard to avoid that stigma. McCarten's script is so meticulously structured that it would've fit right in on the stage, but Wright avoids stuffy staging through his cinematic direction, pointing his camera into smoky chambers where powerful words echo off hallowed walls. Chamberlain and Lord Halifax ( Stephen Dillane ) want Churchill to consider entering peace talks with Hitler before the Germans invade England. With France close to surrender and the British soldiers beaten back towards the sea at Dunkirk, things seem hopeless, and Chamberlain and Halifax are willing to hear Hitler's terms. Churchill, in turn, wants none of it – he knows Hitler is a monster, and hearing Hitler out would be tantamount to surrender.

Darkest Hour brings us into Churchill's world through his new secretary Elizabeth Nel, played by Lily James . On first introduction, Elizabeth seems like a character who will simply fade into the background and be mostly neglected the way Churchill's wife (played by Kristin Scott Thomas ) does. But Darkest Hour keeps Elizabeth in focus, and some of the best moments of the film are the quiet scenes that Churchill and Elizabeth share together. When Darkest Hour began production, no one could've guessed how prescient the story would be. But scenes like the one where Churchill talks to passengers on the London Ground to get the mood of the country, where the crowd cries they refuse to give into fascists and would rather fight them off at every turn, come off as even more meaningful now in 2017 then they would have a year ago. Overall though, the power in Darkest Hour rests on Gary Oldman and how he uses Churchill's words. There's plenty to dislike about Churchill's politics, but the man was a great orator, and Darkest Hour stresses the power of Churchill's words, and words in general, through several key moments. But anyone can go in front of a crowd and deliver words – it's whether or not the speaker believes the words that gives them their power. Oldman understands that, and brings it to his performance. Most of all though, Darkest Hour makes Churchill human. It removes him from the black and white photos of history and shows the conflicted man underneath. It may at times border on hagiography, yet it's hard to deny the power on display here. Darkest Hour may not be one the best movies of 2017, but it is one of the most powerful. When Churchill cries "Never surrender!" during one of his final speeches, it's a message worth embracing. /Film Rating: 7 out of 10

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The Darkest Hour

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What to Know

Devoid of believable characters or convincing visual effects, this may be The Darkest Hour for the careers of all involved.

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Darkest hour, common sense media reviewers.

Mild but talky look at Churchill's early days in power.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

The story of this part of Churchill's career is al

Many noted political figures appear; each is given

The film is set in wartime, but no violence is sho

At least one use of "s--t," plus "goddamn," "bugge

Churchill was a drinker, which is shown, but he's

Parents need to know that 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…

Positive Messages

The story of this part of Churchill's career is all about courage -- specifically, the courage to stand by your core beliefs against all odds. The British faced a dreadful choice: Give in to the Nazis in order to survive, or refuse to surrender and possibly lose many, many lives as a result. Churchill led them down the latter path.

Positive Role Models

Many noted political figures appear; each is given reasonable motivation for his choices, whether to fight or surrender. Even the king (George VI) is portrayed positively, as wise and patient. But Churchill is the hero here; he's shown wrestling with doubts and political strife before taking his famous "We shall fight" stand. No notable female characters or diversity.

Violence & Scariness

The film is set in wartime, but no violence is shown. It takes place almost entirely in England before the Blitz. British troops are shown holed up in a French church moments before an attack (via bomb, in an explosion viewers don't see). A little bit of blood on wounded soldiers.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

At least one use of "s--t," plus "goddamn," "bugger," "good God."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Churchill was a drinker, which is shown, but he's never shown drunk. Lots of smoking.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that 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. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Based on 10 parent reviews

Absorbing atmospheric slice of history

Wwii era gives glimpse into daily life of winston churchill, 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.

Is It Any Good?

Joe Wright 's drama features a transformative turn by the excellent Gary Oldman as Churchill; unfortunately, the limited-scope biopic doesn't have much more in its arsenal than that. The cast of Darkest Hour is excellent, but the inner workings and relationships of the people they play are unexplored, giving the actors little chance to shine. The film recounts a key moment in British, European, and world history: Churchill's choice to resist the superior Axis forces to the end, rather than surrender (expressed in his famous "We shall fight" speech). But instead of filling the film with tension and desperation, Wright and screenwriter Anthony McCarten ( The Theory of Everything ) focus on destructive political struggles. Keeping the focus on the back-and-forth in Parliament and the king's slowly won approval distances viewers from the actual stakes. It feels as if the movie is about Churchill's political life, rather than the survival of the British civilization and its people. For instance, the desperate, Hail Mary evacuation of Dunkirk is a key plot point ... but it's represented in the film by gentlemanly politicians civilly (mostly) debating the options. It's perhaps an unfair comparison, but Christopher Nolan 's Dunkirk showed just how gripping that story could be. Not that Darkest Hour should have been a war film, but the audience does need to feel the weight that's bowing Churchill's back, not just be told about it.

The film commits the familiar sin of relating history almost exclusively through the mouths of the powerful. There's Neville Chamberlain (Ronald Pickup), upon whom history hasn't smiled; lesser-known Viscount Halifax (the always-great Stephen Dillane ); and King George VI himself (Emmy winner Ben Mendelsohn ). There's a nice secretary ( Lily James ), but her story isn't explored, and the way her relationship with Churchill is portrayed here pales in comparison to a parallel arc between another secretary and Churchill in Netflix's The Crown . It's only toward the end of Darkest Hour that we're reminded there are actual people among the "British people." In what will surely become the movie's signature scene, Churchill unexpectedly consults/manipulates average citizens on the dire question facing the nation. It's only then that we're reminded what stands to be lost, destroyed, killed. As for Oldman, he's dependably watchable. (Read: He's less fun to watch than you'd expect.) The script simply doesn't help him; Churchill's famed wit is barely present. Bottom line? Darkest Hour is a patriotic, if too genteel, representation of the events leading to one of the most famous speeches of the 20th century.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about what kind of movie Darkest Hour is: a war movie, a biopic, a historical document, a personal drama? Who do you think it's intended to appeal to?

Is this how you imagined Winston Churchill? How does he exhibit courage ? Why is that an important character strength ?

How did the film affect your view of Churchill? Facing the same odds, in that same situation, what choice do you think you'd have made?

How does the film depict drinking and smoking ? Does the era a movie is set in affect how you view these things?

How accurate do you think the movie is? Why might filmmakers choose to alter the facts in a story that's based on true events?

Movie Details

• In theaters : November 22, 2017
• On DVD or streaming : February 27, 2018
• Cast : Gary Oldman , Lily James , Ben Mendelsohn
• Director : Joe Wright
• Inclusion Information : Female actors
• Studio : Focus Features
• Genre : Drama
• Topics : History
• Character Strengths : Courage
• Run time : 114 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : some thematic material
• Awards : Academy Award , Golden Globe - Golden Globe Award Winner
• Last updated : June 20, 2024

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Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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‘Darkest Hour’ Review: Gary Oldman Gives Us a Fearsome, Oscar-Worthy Churchill

By Peter Travers

Peter Travers

Gary Oldman is one of the greatest actors on the planet – and he proves it again as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour, director Joe Wright’s rip-roaring take on the celebrated Prime Minister’s first tumultuous month in office in May, 1940, when France and Belgium are a whisper away from surrendering to Hitler and Great Britain may be next. (How I’d love to see Oldman’s take on the Fuhrer). 

The British actor, 59, has played real people before, from Sid Vicious ( Sid and Nancy ) to Lee Harvey Oswald ( JFK ). But his Churchill is something different. At first, the slender chameleon is barely recognizable in his fat suit and buried under layers of artful, award-caliber makeup, courtesy of Japanese craftsman Kazuhiro Tsuji. But then something magical happens, like it does when the gods of cinema align. Those flashing eyes, brimming with mischief, are unmistakenly Oldman’s, and his vocal technique rises to the challenge of capturing one of the most eloquent, inspiring voices in history without indulging in mere mimicry. In his 35-year-film career, Oldman has only received one nomination from the Academy, for playing master spy George Smiley in 2011’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. This will surely end that oversight. Get busy engraving Oldman’s name on an Oscar right bloody now.

And those fearing that Darkest Hour is nothing but a dull tableau of blowhard stuffed shirts will be relieved to know that they’re in for a lively, provocative historical drama that runs on its own nonstop creative fire. Wright introduces us to the great man lighting a cigar in bed – but from then on, the hard-drinking Churchill is on his feet and demanding attention like the brawling infant he resembles. Whether he’s terrorizing a timid, young typist (Lily James) or grumbling at criticism doled out by his loyal, impatient wife, Clementine (a sublimely tart Kristin Scott Thomas), Churchill, at 66, is a lion who’s definitely not ready for winter.

Working from a scrappy, dialogue-heavy script by Anthony McCarten ( The Theory of Everything ), Wright brings a cinematic dynamism to every scene, even when confined to Churchill’s chambers, underground war rooms and the halls of Parliament. That’s where Churchill squeaks by as a compromise candidate, one who’s hated only slightly less than his Hitler-appeasing predecessor Neville Chamberlain (Ronald Pickup). Though the evacuation of British soldiers on the beaches of Dunkirk will change the course of the war, no one knew that for sure … especially Churchill, who often hid his uncertainty in alcohol and a haze of cigar smoke. We see almost nothing of the Operation Dynamo action, which makes Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed Dunkirk the perfect companion piece to Wright’s interior drama. (Oldman recently joked that Nolan’s epic was “the most expensive second unit” in film history. Ironically, both films will be vying against each other for awards this season.)

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Wright has been much praised for bringing a modern energy to period pieces ( Pride & Prejudice, Atonement), a nd he animates the hothouse atmosphere of Churchill’s gilded cage with thoughtful debate and vigorous visuals. Cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel ( Amelie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ) keeps his camera in a constant whirl, marching in time to a thrilling score by Dario Marianelli. The Prime Minsiter’s instinct to refuse peace talks with Germany brokered by Mussolini doesn’t sit well at first with King George (Ben Mendelsohn, in the same role that won Colin Firth an Oscar in The King’s Speech ). But the unthinkable idea of an English regent in exile in Canada brings the two men closer together. The film falters slightly during an imagined scene in which Churchill sneaks off for a ride on the London underground and talks policy with a melting pot of commoners. But this distillation of London pride, of the king’s subjects shouting “Never!” to the possibility of seeing a Nazi flag flying over Buckingham Palace, is essential to Churchill’s insistence on war.

Oldman delivers Churchill’s famous radio speech (“We shall fight them on the beaches”) with all the rhetorical thunder it requires. But this consummate actor is arguably at his very best when he shows us the politician at his most vulnerable, backed against the wall and thwarted by those outside and inside his own inner circle. John Lithgow won an Emmy for playing Churchill in The Crown;  the formidable Brian Cox and Michael Gambon joined the recent run of interpretations of the PM. Still, it’s Oldman, whose performance as Churchill feels definitive, revealing a fearsome, sometimes fearful man racked by self doubts and still able to find the conviction to rally his nation, and countless nations to come, to fight against living under the heel of tyranny. The victory of Darkest Hour as a film is not just to hear those word repeated, but to discover the flawed human being who carved those words out of the dark night of his own soul.

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Darkest Hour review – Gary Oldman is a tremendous Winston Churchill in high-octane drama

An Oscar-buzzed performance acts as the stoic centre of Joe Wright’s retelling of the events of 1940, played as a House of Cards style thriller

J ust as Britain negotiates its inglorious retreat from Europe, and our political classes prepare to ratify the chaotic abandonment of a union intended to prevent another war, there seems to be a renewed appetite for movies about 1940. Christopher Nolan has given us his operatic immersion in Dunkirk, and now Joe Wright — who himself staged bravura Dunkirk scenes in his 2007 film Atonement — directs this undeniably exciting and beguiling account of Winston Churchill’s darkest hour in 1940, as Hitler’s forces gather across the Channel, poised to invade. It is written by Anthony McCarten, who scripted the recent Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything.

This is not so much a period war movie as a high-octane political thriller: May 1940 as House Of Cards, with the wartime Prime Minister up against a cabal of politicians who want to do him down. It’s interesting for a film to remind us that appeasement as an issue did not vanish the moment that Winston Churchill took over as Prime Minister; despite the famous David Low cartoon, not everyone was right behind him, rolling up their sleeves. Here, his immediate enemies do not seem to be Hitler and Mussolini as much as Chamberlain and Halifax, agitating for a deal with the Nazis and scheming to undermine Churchill’s cabinet and parliamentary position.

They are played respectively by Ronald Pickup and Stephen Dillane, the latter having a malign mandarin impassivity. Dillane makes him a pretty unholy fox. Ben Mendelsohn plays George VI, who is also an appeasement fan at first, though the film gallantly makes him a Churchill convert, conjuring a scene between the two of them in which his job is to stiffen Winston’s sinews. (This film incidentally doesn’t make the mistake in The King’s Speech of implying that Churchill sided with Bertie during the Abdication.)

Darkest Hour has obvious similarities to the recent film Churchill, with Brian Cox; like that drama it imagines a pretty young WAAF figure as his secretary, for him to be at first grumpy and then soppy with - Lily James plays this part here. Miranda Richardson played the exasperated wife Clemmie in the Brian Cox movie and here it’s Kristin Scott Thomas being exasperated and affectionate, helping the impossible old devil dress etc, in more or less the same way - although there’s more here for Scott Thomas to get her teeth into. But this movie packs a much bigger and more effective punch, and that’s down to a more ambitious scale, pacier narrative drive - and the lead performance.

Every time I sit down to another Churchill drama, I promise myself I won’t just roll over for another actor in the latex/Homburg/bowtie/cigar/padding combo and doing the jowl-quivering while speaking in the voish and the weird cadencesh . And yet there’s no doubt about it, Gary Oldman is terrific as Churchill, conveying the babyishness of his oddly unlined face in repose, the slyness and manipulative good humour, and a weird deadness when he is overtaken with depression. There is a scene (a bit fancifully imagined) with Churchill slumped in a bleakly lit almost unfurnished room, where he looks like something by Lucian Freud. He spends a fair bit of time down in the bunker-ish Cabinet War Rooms yelling at people: these are the “Upfall” scenes, which might get YouTube-subtitled in German in all sorts of irreverent ways. And it is here that Winston reaches his nadir, before the miracle of the little boats has manifested itself. He allows Halifax to send word via the Italians that Britain would be theoretically interested in the Danegeld-price: what might induce Hitler to hold back from Britain and its colonies? Oldman shows Churchill going into a kind of stricken shock.

This is not to say that there isn’t a fair bit of hokum and romantic invention. This film imagines Churchill needing to take a journey on the tube because his official car is held up in traffic. So he meets a quaint cross-section of forelock-tugging British and empire subjects in the underground carriage, from whom he learns something very important — that he is absolutely right!

There is room for a more sceptical movie about Churchill: something revisiting his performance during the Tonypandy Riots or the Siege Of Sidney Street. Or just something that acknowledges that he hated Adolf Hitler for the same reason he hated Mahatma Gandhi: they were both enemies of the British Empire. But Gary Oldman carries off a tremendous performance here, and it’s impossible not to enjoy it. It’s as if his establishment panjandrum George Smiley was suddenly infused with the spirit of Sid Vicious.

• Darkest Hour is screening at the Toronto film festival and will be released in the US on 22 November and in the UK on 12 January
• Toronto film festival 2017
• First look review
• Toronto film festival
• Drama films
• Gary Oldman
• Winston Churchill
• Second world war

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The Darkest Hour

In Moscow, five young people lead the charge against an alien race who have attacked Earth via our power supply. In Moscow, five young people lead the charge against an alien race who have attacked Earth via our power supply. In Moscow, five young people lead the charge against an alien race who have attacked Earth via our power supply.

• Chris Gorak
• Jon Spaihts
• Leslie Bohem
• Emile Hirsch
• Olivia Thirlby
• Max Minghella
• 304 User reviews
• 196 Critic reviews
• 18 Metascore
• 1 nomination

• (as Nikolai Efremov)

• (as Georgy Gromov)

• (as Arthur Smoljaninov)
• (as Anna Roudakova)

• Anton Batkin
• (as Petr Fedorov)

• Bartender No. 1
• Bartender No. 2
• (as Alexsandr Chernyh)

• First Policeman
• (as Oleg Poddubny)
• Second Policeman
• (as Vasja Fursenko)
• Drunk Russian No. 1
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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• Trivia The involvement of Timur Bekmambetov as producer afforded the production the opportunity of using Russia as a backdrop instead of the usual USA locations. Bekmambetov owns a film production company in Moscow called Bazelevs where most of the movie was made.
• Goofs When the characters have to jump off the boat into the river, Sean and Natalie both jump in together holding hands. All the characters except Natalie emerge together and climb aboard the submarine. Somehow Natalie has managed to end up in the city, clearly more than a few kilometers away. She probably swam there, and it wasn't as far as a few kilometers.

Skyler : How'd you come up with that?

Sean : I don't know. Shark Week.

• Crazy credits All the opening credits briefly appear in Russian before translated into English.
• Connections Edited into The Darkest Hour: Deleted and Extended Scenes (2012)
• Soundtracks MOCKBA (Moscow) Written by Igor Pustelnik Performed by Marselle

User reviews 304

• moviexclusive
• Dec 28, 2011
• How long is The Darkest Hour? Powered by Alexa
• December 25, 2011 (United States)
• United States
• Official Facebook
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• The Darkest Hour 3D
• Red Square, Kitai-gorod, Tverskoy District, Moscow, Russia
• Summit Entertainment
• New Regency Productions
• Bazelevs Production
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $30,000,000 (estimated)
• $21,443,494
• Dec 25, 2011
• $64,626,786

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 29 minutes
• Dolby Surround 7.1

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'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F' Review: The Heat Is on in Eddie Murphy’s Netflix Movie

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The Big Picture

• Eddie Murphy returns as Axel Foley in the entertaining Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.
• The film successfully captures the essence of the original movies, blending action and comedy while incorporating modern references.
• Newcomers Taylour Paige and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are great additions, adding depth and heart to the story alongside Murphy.

Before the era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe , before Peter Jackson blessed cinemas with The Lord of the Rings , and before Harry Potter ever waved his magic wand, one of the biggest movie franchises in all of Hollywood was Beverly Hills Cop , starring comedy legend Eddie Murphy . The first movie was a massive critical and commercial success, with Murphy's role as the fast-talking and rambunctious Detroit cop Axel Foley cementing him as an A-lister. The film also spawned two sequels, the equally entertaining Beverly Hills Cop II and the maligned Beverly Hills Cop III (which even this new movie admits, was not Axel's finest hour).

A fourth Beverly Hills Cop movie had been in the works for decades, going through multiple writers, directors, and release dates. Hell, there was a moment in time when the movie was scheduled to open on the same day as Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice . Jump to the past five years and Murphy has experienced a career resurgence after taking a step back for a bit . His comeback role as Rudy Ray Moore in Dolemite Is My Name earned him some of the highest praises of his career. Shortly after the movie's release, he also returned to his old stomping grounds of Studio 8H to host an episode of Saturday Night Live . Not too long after that, the pandemic hit, and Murphy's comedy sequel Coming 2 America was sent directly to streaming. While the movie itself wasn't all that great , it was a success in terms of viewership. Since then, Murphy has stuck to making movies for streaming services with films such as You People and Candy Cane Lane .

It then makes sense why Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F has found a home on Netflix , but there's also something bittersweet about it. In the era of legacy sequels, this new film could have found an audience in theaters, but its arrival on Netflix will also certainly attract even more eyes to it.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley is the fourth film in the popular comedy franchise starring Eddie Murphy. Murphy returns as Axel Foley in the Netflix film alongside returning cast members Judge Reinhold and John Ashton and Bronson Pinchot as Serge. Kevin Bacon and Joseph Gordon-Levitt also star in the sequel as new characters.

What Is 'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F' About?

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F begins the same way the first three movies in the series began , with Axel Foley in the midst of a chaotic mission in the streets of Detroit, Michigan. While Foley is thirty years older, he's hardly changed at all, going against orders, cracking jokes, and getting into trouble. His old partner, Jeffrey Friedman ( Paul Reiser ), is now the Deputy Chief of the Detroit Police Department, and is on the verge of retirement, encouraging Foley to do the same. Foley, however, has no interest in turning in his badge, especially after receiving a troubling call from his old friend Billy Rosewood ( Judge Reinhold ), from the Beverly Hills Police Department. He learns that his estranged daughter Jane Saunders ( Taylour Paige ), a criminal defense attorney, is being threatened by a criminal group after she takes on a client who has been falsely accused of killing an officer.

Foley once again embarks on a mission in the streets of Beverly Hills. He quickly realizes that a lot has changed since his last trip, not that it bothers him too much . Foley's antics land him once again at the Beverly Hills police station, where he meets Detective Bobby Abbott ( Joseph Gordon-Levitt ), who just so happens to be Jane's ex-boyfriend. Abbott isn't the only new face at the station. There's also Cade Grant ( Kevin Bacon ), the head of a special task force who Jane is suspicious of, despite John Taggart's ( John Ashton ) endorsement. To make matters even more complicated, Rosewood has gone missing, so now Foley has to team up with a reluctant Jane and Bobby to save his old friend.

Eddie Murphy Hasn't Missed a Beat as Axel Foley

There is no question that Murphy is one of the best comic leading men to ever grace the screen . Even in his stumbles (here's looking at you Norbit ), he's never not trying. While Coming 2 America may have failed to deliver, Axel F feels like redemption. Despite having a comedian in the lead role, the first two films in the series always had a blend of being a gritty cop flick and a raunchy comedy. While it could have been easy to just have Foley spend the movie talking about how he's frustrated by how everyone has become more delicate or ranting about the younger generations, that isn't the case here. Both the film and Murphy know that this character has always been the lightning rod of comic chaos that makes this franchise work. While many of his old colleagues are talking about settling down and getting old, Foley rejects that notion. He's still the same old rebellious cop that we've come to know and Murphy is playing the character the same way he did when he was 22.

Axel F doesn't play like your typical legacy sequel as, much like the titular character, the film is not remotely interested in passing the baton. It almost feels like barely any time has passed at all. That's not to say there aren't any modern references thrown in there with one of the movie's biggest laughs is centered around the movie Jupiter Ascending (yes, you are reading that right). Although considering the movie is nearly a decade old, it's probably not that modern of a reference.

The movie still plays with certain clichés that you expect to see from long-awaited sequels , such as bringing back fan-favorite characters, but they never feel like they are there just to be there. Reinhold and Ashton's Rosewood and Taggart figure into the story in a big way and are far more than just throwaway cameos. Bronson Pinchot is also a major highlight, reprising his role as Surge, and while his role may not be as large as his co-stars, he's still a joy to watch as the character.

Newcomers such as Paige and Gordon-Levitt are also solid additions . Paige effectively makes Jane feel like Foley's polar opposite as she's more about business versus cracking jokes and having fun. Her back and forth with Murphy provides some of the movie's biggest highlights and these scenes bring in a lot more heart. Gordon-Levitt also fits right in as Bobby, basically playing a straight man who becomes increasingly riled up by Foley and his shenanigans. Bacon's Grant isn't given as much depth or background as some of the other newbies, and he's at the center of one of the movie's most unapologetically predictable arcs. Yet he too is delightful to watch, playing a character that feels like he was ripped right out of the first two movies.

'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F' Should Have Been in Theaters

There has been a stigma surrounding big-budget Netflix movies, and whether it's warranted or not, a lot of these movies earned a lot of attention because of the convenience of being available on a streaming service. After all, do we think that many people would have seen Atlas in a movie theater? Probably not. Axel F , on the other hand, feels like it was meant to be seen on the big screen with the audience. For a first-time feature director, Mark Molloy sure knows how to make this movie feel as cinematic as possible. Not only that, but he also still reincorporates the 80s flair the first two movies had, much like Joseph Kosinski did with Top Gun: Maverick . The action setpieces feel like they were made to be seen in a packed theater, rather than just on your TV screen. From the movie's opening snow plow chase in the streets of Detroit to an incredibly amusing helicopter chase sequence, Axel F doesn't feel dull or like a tired retread. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer knows what makes a fun summer popcorn movie, from 90s classics like Con Air to more recent affairs like Bad Boys: Ride or Die , and whil e Axel F may not be a future classic, it's the exact kind of summer action movie that could have played like gangbusters in a theater.

That's not to say that Axel F is as good as Maverick . While the Tom Cruise film felt like it surpassed its predecessor, this movie feels like it is right on par with the first two movies. It has no interest in having something to say, be it about modern policing or gang violence, as its main intention is to be a showcase for Murphy and his old colleagues to attempt to recapture that magic. Lorne Balfe 's synth-heavy score additionally captures those nostalgic vibes without feeling too on the nose.

The story itself is insanely predictable ; right from the jump, you know exactly how the movie is going to wrap itself up. While the highs of sequel movie are certainly high, especially in comparison to other Netflix blockbuster flicks, this isn't a game-changer. You will know exactly what you are getting into as soon as you click the "play" button on your remote, but you'll also be pleasantly surprised by just how well the movie works .

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is exactly the kind of entertaining summer blockbuster that we need more of. The movie ends up taking the right lessons from other legacy sequels like Top Gun: Maverick and Bad Boys: Ride or Die by accurately recreating the vibe of the original while also incorporating its own personality.

'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F' perfectly recaptures the joy of the original two films and is powered by a joyful Eddie Murphy.

• Eddie Murphy is as entertaining as ever as Axel Foley and plays the character the same way he did in the 80s.
• Mark Molloy's direction and Lorne Balfe's score help make Axel F feel much more cinematic than your typical big-budget Netflix movie.
• Taylour Paige and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are welcome new additions to the cast.
• The story itself is almost too predictable.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F will be available to stream on Netflix in the U.S. starting July 3.

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The devil's bath review: shudder's latest horror is a diabolical dismantling of a woman's spirit.

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A24 Is Finally Bringing An End To A Horror Movie Trope That's Overstayed Its Welcome

Mark wahlberg's next movie is the closest to a sequel to this nicolas cage $224m classic we'll ever get, jenna ortega's controversial 2024 thriller with 29% rt score climbs netflix's us top 10 chart.

• The Devil's Bath , set in 1750 Austria, follows a deeply religious woman, Agnes, whose dreams of happiness are shattered by societal expectations. Her descent into despair and misguided faith leads to a dark and disturbing climax.
• Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala explore the limits of the human spirit and the dangers of limiting a person to chores and obligations.
• Anja Plaschg's exceptional performance anchors the film, showcasing Agnes' emotional decline.

Writer-directors Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala are no strangers to crafting disturbing films that remain in the audience's psyche. The Goodnight Mommy and The Lodge duo brings us a new Shudder horror film that draws from history, but its resonance is undeniable. Unsettling atmosphere, grim imagery, and a frightening story are now the norm for the dynamic pair, and The Devil's Bath (2024) is a truly intense experience.

The Devil's Bath (2024)

The Devil’s Bath is set in 1750 Austria and follows Agnes (Anja Plaschg), a deeply religious woman inspired by Eva Lizlfellnerin, an Upper Austrian woman who committed a horrible crime. Agnes has an endearing love for nature, plants, and insects, but her environment does not nurture the pursuit of happiness. She marries her love and thinks life begins anew, but societal expectations shatter her dreams of a family and happiness. What happens after hopelessness settles in sends Agnes down a dark path and action that does not exist in a vacuum.

The Devil's Bath Latest Is A Stunning Portrayal Of Despair And Misguided Faith

The film weaves a compelling tale of the limits of the human spirit. The Devil's Bath is the exact opposite of a hopeful story. It's a cautionary tale of the dangers of limiting a human to chores and obligations. Agnes exhibits a kind heart and cares for her environment, but she cannot feel fulfilled or pursue true happiness. So she snaps. It's a long, grueling road to the climax Agnes orchestrates for herself, but I felt empathy and satisfaction seeing Agnes make the decision for herself and see it through. Terrible as the decision is, she finds some peace in it.

The Devil's Bath makes us feel every emotion and haunts us long after the story concludes.

The buildup is the film's best aspect; the writing is so careful not to have us outright hate everyone. Instead, we, like Agnes, find ourselves silently pleading for change but recognizing that she and everyone else don't know how to stray from this rigid path. The story is layered and informative, building the anxiety to unmanageable levels. Franz and Fiala showcase great patience, with every scene weaving its complex story with compelling imagery. The film doesn't rest on jump scares or overly grotesque visuals.

The directors put us in Agnes' shoes, pulling us deeper into her despair, which can feel methodical and calculated by her community and God. The sheer disappointment of never having her prayers answered is palpable, but her commitment to her faith, as aggravating as it may be, is admirable.

Anja Plaschg's Performances Leaves A Palpable Impression

The film draws parallels to Robert Egger's The Witch with how this particular era, dominated by misunderstood and malicious religious compliance, damned women. The Devil's Bath taps into the domestic life of women, stifled and belittled to such an extent that the mind turns into a fragile ticking time bomb. Seeking answers in prayer because no answers exist in the community garners little response and expedites mental decline.

Franz and Fiala showcase great patience, with every scene weaving its complex story with compelling imagery.

The Devil's Bath's loaded story requires an actress with exceptional skills, and Anja Plaschg delivers. The musician-turned-actress is a wonder to behold as she portrays Agnes's sharp decline. Her circumstances — an unloving husband, a harsh mother-in-law, an unforgiving community, and the pain of infertility — swiftly alter the hopeful beginning, which sees Agnes expressing warmth and kindness.

Plaschg rises to the challenge of showcasing how diabolical the dismantling of Agnes' spirit is by her family, community and faith. Agnes is not a bad person, but she does a bad thing, and it is through Plaschg's brave performance that we find ourselves being equally empathetic and horrified.

The Devil's Bath Is An Expertly Crafted Horror

The Devil's Bath is bleak but well worth the watch, especially if you like being guided down Franz and Fiala's dark, twisted rabbit hole. Horror is a genre designed to challenge and disturb its audience, and the directors got the memo. The story stemming from reality adds to the stressful and unsettling atmosphere, and I was fully engrossed from the opening sequence to the bitter end.

The film benefits from the accurate replication of 18th-century Austria, the costuming, and informed cinematography. Martin Gschlacht's shots balance the natural beauty of the space while allowing the darkness of the story to seep in and then engulf every scene. Plaschg not only anchors the film with a stunning performance but also lends her gifts to the score, which is influenced by her portrayal, creating a seamless connection.

Shudder is the ideal platform for the film, and whether seen in theaters or on streaming, The Devil's Bath makes us feel every emotion and haunts us long after the story concludes.

The Devil's Bath is now playing in limited theaters and is available to stream on Shudder. The film is not yet rated.

In 1750 Austria, a deeply religious woman named Agnes has just married her beloved, but her mind and heart soon grow heavy as her life becomes a long list of chores and expectations. Day after day, she is increasingly trapped in a murky and lonely path leading to evil thoughts, until the possibility of committing a shocking act of violence seems like the only way out of her inner prison.

• Anja Plaschg delivers a stunning, layered performance
• The Devil's Bath is haunting and has a thrilling buildup
• The story is unsettling and smartly draws from actual histroy
• The film's production design and costuming is impressive
• Horror Movies

Ynon Kreiz: The CEO Mattel (and Hollywood) needed in the darkest hour

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The day “ Barbie ” hit theaters in July, Mattel Chief Executive Ynon Kreiz was in New York City visiting his oldest daughter and the pair decided to walk to a nearby theater for some real-time market research. Kreiz, who had been the driving force behind the decision to bring Mattel’s iconic doll to life on the big screen, loved the film, but with its fate now in the hands of the ticket-buying public, his opinion didn’t much matter. He wanted to see how people were reacting.

His answer came quickly. As he and his daughter approached, they found themselves walking among droves of people dressed in Barbie’s signature pink. And when they poked their heads into each of the five packed theaters showing the movie, they were met with roars of laughter. Some viewers were crying.

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“Feeling that reaction — that audience reaction — was very telling,” he said, “and very exciting.”

What happened after opening night is now the stuff of Hollywood legend. The Greta Gerwig-directed film became an instant hit at the box office, raking in more than $1.4 billion, and kicked off a cultural phenomenon . Less well known, though, is the role the film has played in the story of Mattel’s revival. It’s a story that was written in large part by Kreiz, 59, who took the reins when the El Segundo-based company was struggling and who over his roughly six years at the helm has orchestrated a remarkable turnaround, making Mattel into one of the biggest corporate success stories of recent years.

At the heart of his plan was a move that seemed obvious to him, but which previous leaders failed to execute: Mattel needed to make a splash in the film business. To Kreiz, Mattel’s intellectual property was a gold mine. The company had a roster of instantly recognizable characters beloved by children and adults alike that he was confident could become enormously lucrative if they were exploited wisely.

For skeptics, that remains a big if. Mattel, in need of a big win in a dark hour, understandably chose to come out of the gate with its most reliable brand. The question now is whether Barbie’s success earned the toy maker’s film division enough industry respect, and breathing room, for the studio to re-create last summer’s magic with other, less potent brands, such as Hot Wheels, Polly Pocket and the card game Uno. Complicating the already uncertain road ahead, earlier this year an activist investor began agitating for the company to jettison some of its key brands to boost its middling stock price.

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“This is not a novel concept where you take a strong brand in one vertical and import it to others,” Kreiz said at a conference last fall. “At Mattel, we haven’t done it. … You have ‘Fast and Furious,’ 10, and Hot Wheels, zero.” He believes with certainty that there’s an audience for such a film. After all, Mattel already sells nearly 800 million of the die-cast cars a year.

Mattel’s consumers, Ynon Kreiz said, are more than just consumers — they are fans.

Kreiz, who gets up around 4:30 or 5 a.m. to kiteboard or get some other workout in before work, brings a similar intensity to the office. He stays impressively on message when talking about Mattel, with seemingly effortless sound bites ready at hand, barely breaking eye contact. Watch clips of his public speaking appearances and it becomes clear he repeats talking points, often word for word, his calm, personable demeanor disguising the discipline with which he approaches the CEO role.

When asked about the key to Mattel’s transformation under his leadership, Kreiz, unhurried and with animated hands, launched into a theory that he has often recounted in interviews. Mattel’s consumers, he said, are more than just consumers — they are fans.

“And when you have a lot of fans, you have an audience,” he said.

Kreiz became Mattel’s fourth chief executive in four years when he took charge, inheriting a company that needed a lifeline. He brought with him extensive experience in the entertainment industry, having made career stops at Fox Kids Europe, Endemol Group — the production company known for its unscripted programs, including “Deal or No Deal” and “Big Brother” — and Maker Studios, a short-form video studio that Disney acquired in 2014.

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The once dominant toy maker had lost its way: Some of Mattel’s biggest brands were struggling, and toy sales had been steadily declining since 2013. Its market cap had dipped more than $5 billion below that of rival Hasbro. Its second-largest customer, Toys R Us, filed for bankruptcy protection in 2017. That same year, Mattel reported a fourth-quarter loss of $281.3 million .

Kreiz needed to stop the bleeding. He restructured the company’s supply chain, reduced the number of items it produces by 35%, and cut five factories from its manufacturing lineup. The company slashed more than 2,200 jobs , 22% of its global nonmanufacturing workforce. Mattel was starting to move away from manufacturing and focus on developing its intellectual property, Kreiz told reporters. Between 2018 and 2021, Mattel said it achieved cost savings of more than a billion dollars.

The Mattel of today looks much different from the company five years ago. The toy maker is now outpacing Hasbro and dominating in fast-growing toy categories, such as fashion dolls, which are more popular than action figures at the moment, said Linda Bolton Weiser, a managing director and senior research analyst at D.A. Davidson who tracks consumer goods.

Kreiz’s work at Mattel hasn’t gone unnoticed. With Barbie’s wild success, he and the turnaround he’d orchestrated became the talk of corporate Hollywood. Matt Belloni, an industry prognosticator, recently anointed Kreiz “the Hollywood hero of the year” and said he was an obvious choice to replace Bob Iger at Disney.

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Feb. 27, 2023

When the first draft of the “Barbie” script landed in Kreiz’s inbox, he read it twice back to back. The text felt unconventional and special, and he loved it right away. Kreiz isn’t shy with his praise of Gerwig, often calling her a “creative genius.”

Robbie Brenner, the head of Mattel Films, felt the same.

Kreiz ‘is going to be able to go out there and get the best partners in Hollywood to do these future projects.’

— Linda Bolton Weiser, a managing director and senior research analyst at D.A. Davidson

Brenner, a producer who was nominated for an Academy Award for “Dallas Buyers Club,” was one of Kreiz’s first hires after starting as CEO. The two met at the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel after an agent suggested they connect.

“I mean, we hired Greta Gerwig for a reason, and you don’t hire Greta Gerwig and then try to cut her legs off,” Brenner added. “I think that we wanted her to fly and to tell an authentic, amazing personal story that was unique and different and bold, and surprise people.”

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Mattel Inc. continued to shake off the liquidation of major customer Toys R Us Inc. and used aggressive cost-cutting to blow past Wall Street estimates during the fourth quarter, which included the crucial holiday shopping season.

Feb. 7, 2019

The film was a hit beyond expectations, both financially and in the cultural consciousness. The “ Barbenheimer ” opening weekend brought crowds of people back into movie theaters in numbers unheard of since the pandemic. More than a dozen fashion brands launched “Barbie” collaborations, including Zara and Vans. Burger King in Brazil sold a hamburger doused in pink sauce and French fries called “Ken’s potatoes.” “Barbiecore” was everywhere.

The movie became the highest-grossing film of 2023, surpassing $1 billion at the global box office just 17 days after its release. At a conference in September, Anthony DiSilvestro, Mattel’s chief financial officer, said that the company expected $125 million in revenue related to the “Barbie” movie — including toy sales — with a profit margin of about 60%.

Mattel declined to comment on how much its cut of the box office revenue is, but industry analysts have said the company’s take-home pay from ticket sales is in the tens of millions. In addition, insiders with knowledge of the financial arrangement said that Mattel also will receive payments for owning the rights to Barbie’s intellectual property in addition to profits as a producer of the movie, the New York Times reported .

The toy aisle also felt the effects of “Barbie” mania. Mattel’s third-quarter performance beat estimates, with sales of Barbie dolls jumping 16%. The doll category as a whole was up 27% from the previous year.

The longer-term dividends the film will pay are harder to quantify but crucial to Mattel’s future.

“Barbie” has laid the groundwork for the future of Mattel’s entertainment sector, Bolton Weiser said. “[Kreiz] is going to be able to go out there and get the best partners in Hollywood to do these future projects. And it’s all good, you know? Very low risk for Mattel. They don’t take any big capital risks doing these entertainment events. So it all makes sense.”

Mattel Films now has 16 projects in development: A J.J. Abrams-produced Hot Wheels movie, Lily Collins and Lena Dunham signed on for Polly Pocket, and Vin Diesel as a partner for Rock ’Em Sock ’Em Robots, among others.

As the scale of “Barbie’s” success became clear, a question began to circulate: Can Mattel repeat this success story? Hollywood is a fickle beast, and the company’s use of its most resonant brand for its first act was a gamble.

“It’s difficult to imagine any other movie based on a toy ever reaching ‘Barbie’s’ heights,” Eliana Dockterman, who reviews TV and films for Time magazine, wrote in August. “Barbie is an icon. She has name recognition across the world equal to Mickey Mouse and Coca-Cola. And, sure, Hot Wheels may be popular, but won’t a Hot Wheels movie just be a racing movie, even if J.J. Abrams is at the helm as executive producer?”

Still, Dockterman admitted that she’s curious about Mattel’s next entertainment ventures, namely “Daniel Kaluuya’s involvement with what sounds like a very meta Barney movie (as in, yes, the big purple dinosaur); whether Lena Dunham can find a quirky take on Polly Pocket; and if a Magic 8 Ball horror movie can actually prove to be scary.”

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Kreiz quickly brushed off concerns of “Barbie” as a one-hit wonder. “We’re not saying that every movie will be as successful as ‘Barbie,’” he said, “but we absolutely look to have the same approach in terms of attracting and collaborating with the talent, supporting and backing the talent,” and enticing Mattel’s built-in fan base to the theater.

“The idea is to create something unique in every movie,” he added. “Every project has a unique purpose, and will have a unique voice.”

While “Barbie” captured fans’ collective imagination last year, Mattel’s future is not tied exclusively to films. Company execs like to joke that the nearly 800 million Hot Wheels sold annually make Mattel the biggest auto manufacturer in the world.

In September, the company unveiled a two-story L.A. flagship store for American Girl at the Westfield Century City Mall. On opening day, a line of toddlers to tweens, with dolls clutched to their chests and their parents in tow, lined up in front of the store’s doors. Inside, the cafe serves doll-sized pancakes on tiered serving trays alongside plates of human-sized ones. A hair and nail salon styles dolls and their humans.

But Kreiz’s big bet on entertainment is never far off. Mattel announced in December plans to give the American Girl brand its own Hollywood treatment with a live-action movie directed by Lindsey Anderson Beer. Some of the American Girls have already starred in movies, mostly direct-to-DVD and made-for-TV films, but the company is aiming to go bigger.

Calmes: I’m going to Barbie Land

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Nostalgia, tapped effectively, can be a powerful force at the box office. There is a reason why studios keep reaching for reboots and reimaginings of beloved franchises — fans want to reconnect with characters with whom they have a history. But it can be a tricky business trying to nail the sweet spot of familiarity and freshness.

Kreiz thinks the company is up to the task.

“Play is our language,” he said. “This is how we start the journey. This is how we speak to our fans.”

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Carly Olson is a former business reporter at the Los Angeles Times who covered retail, e-commerce and how the economy affects consumer behavior. She came from the New York Times, where she was a reporting fellow covering breaking news. Before that, she was a business reporting intern for the L.A. Times and an editor at Architectural Digest. She was born and raised in California.

Christina House is a staff photojournalist with the Los Angeles Times. She officially joined the visual journalism team in 2017 after 10 years as a freelance photographer. House grew up in Long Beach and is a graduate of Cal State Fullerton. Her love for photography started when she visited the Philippines, her mother’s native country, at age 7. That unforgettable experience inspired her to pick up a camera. House won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography and the 2022 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for Domestic Photography for “Hollywood’s Finest,” an intimate look into the life of a pregnant 22-year-old woman living on the street. She received the 2021 Cliff Edom New America Award and was honored in the portrait series category for her work on “Game Changers: A Celebration of Women in Sports” from the 2021 National Press Photographers Assn.’s Best of Photojournalism awards.

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Kevin Costner's Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1 takes 3 hours to clear the stable

Partially gorgeous, partially dull as dirt, Kevin Costner’s big bet is only part of a movie, but may not hook many.

Growing up, my father would show us old movies and occasionally blurt, “Ah, they don’t make ‘em like this anymore!” It was the ultimate backhanded compliment. Whatever was happening had some old-school Hollywood sweep, but the tipping point came at a moment of retrograde politics from when men were men . (“Very funny,” my mother would usually comment back.) I suspect that if I were to watch Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1 (in theaters Friday) with my old man and take a shot of rotgut whiskey each time he’d utter the phrase, the local sawbones would declare me dead before the midway point of the picture. 

Notably, halfway through is a full 90 minutes, and that’s just for the first of a planned four individually released films in this American Saga . ( Chapter 2 comes out Aug. 16, while Chapter 3 is in production now.) What’s strangest about this three-hour movie, though, is that despite some deadly slow patches, it still feels like an hour was cut from it, considering how characters develop off-screen. On more than one occasion, there are scenes that suggest deep and lasting relationships between people … that must have happened while the camera was somewhere else. 

Warner Bros.

It’s irritating but perhaps necessary, considering just how many characters are introduced. Indeed, director, co-screenwriter, and, notably, co-financier Kevin Costner does not make his first onscreen appearance until (exactly) the one-hour mark. When he does show up, prepare yourself for the silliest-looking hat in modern cinema. Everyone else in this movie gets to look cool in their Western duds except for Kevin, sporting an enormously tall blue lid.

Several storylines are introduced in Chapter 1 , and, just to let you know, they aren’t going to intersect until at least the next episode. It’s the middle of the American Civil War, and while the Union and Confederacy may be slaughtering one another at Antietam and Bull Run, many are headed West to a new settlement called Horizon. While it seems, at first, to be a paradise of square dancing, good manors, and even some racial harmony (there’s one Black family that seems to fit right in with the rest of the community, plus a Mexican dude who seems to be a welcomed part of the gang), there is the small issue of the nascent town being smack in the middle of the White Mountain Apache hunting grounds. 

It remains a little unclear how aware the newcomers are about their trespassing, but before you can get into it, Indigenous warriors gallop in and slaughter nearly everyone in sight. It’s an extremely effective sequence, though it is (how shall I put this?) tricky , in 2024, to watch angelic blonde white women cower in fear and Pa Kettle-types clutch their folksy fiddles as bloodthirsty Natives swoop in with hatchets. Later, there is some talk about how most of the tribe seems to want to coexist (#NotAllApache), but the searing images remain. 

Anyhow, one of those blondes is Frances Kittredge ( Sienna Miller ), who narrowly survives the assault with her (also blonde) daughter Lizzie (Georgia MacPhail). They are eventually taken away to safety, a sturdier outpost run by the pessimistic Col. Houghton (Danny Huston) and the dovish and handsome Lt. Trent Gephart ( Sam Worthington ), who quickly starts making eyes at the newly widowed Frances. Young Lizzie soon becomes something of the camp mascot, which climaxes in a scene involving a quilt so hokey it would make the producers of Little House on the Prairie blush. 

Meanwhile, some of the menfolk who survived the attack go out on the hunt, looking for revenge. There’s a market for Indian scalps, and the posse doesn’t seem too concerned about whether they get the right guys or not. Despite all this, another wagon train is headed to Horizon, led by Luke Wilson , who has to deal with broken axles, a posh British couple who won’t pull their weight, some gross sex pests on the work crew, and, you guessed it, more Natives! 

But Kevin Costner is in this movie, right? Yes, and, sad to say, his storyline is actually the least interesting. Before trouble came to Horizon — all ants and scorpions and heat — Ellen (Jena Malone) is in snowy Montana Territory and shoots a man what done her wrong. She packs up with her infant and flees. The man’s two large adult sons, Junior (Jon Beavers) and Caleb (Jamie Campbell Bower), will move heaven and earth to avenge pappy — though to look at Caleb, he still finds a way to bring his personal stylist out to the range. (Was there mousse in the Old West? Horizon suggests yes.) 

How does this involve Kevin Costner? I’m getting there. This movie demands patience. 

Richard Foreman/Warner Bros.

Ellen ends up in Wyoming Territory, in a tiny mining town. She’s living with some bozo dork and also one of the town’s many prostitutes, Marigold (Abbey Lee), whose anachronistic performance style is abysmal but at least not boring. Marigold interests a passing worker, Hayes Ellison (Costner, finally!), in her wares, and just after he cleans himself up for an evening of her services, evil Caleb shows up on the way to the shared home looking for Ellen’s kid. It ends in a shooting match, and soon Hayes, Marigold, and the kid are on the run. Costner, age 69, who willed this project into being, makes sure to include a scene in which the former supermodel Lee mounts him, tells him to just lie there, and fornicates him into a good night’s sleep. Hollywood’s an incredible place.

There are several other characters (Frances’s father-in-law is on that wagon train) and little scenarios (the Apache get a scene or two), but the big point is that none of this gets close to being resolved. Of course, this is mitigated by knowing Chapter 2 is just around the bend, but at a time when getting adults to spend time and money to see something at the theater — especially when one can stream Yellowstone and its many prequels from the comfort of your couch — Horizons is a big ask. I’m just not sure how much of a buy-in audiences will feel when this movie wraps up, even if the final five minutes is a ludicrous montage of “scenes to come.” (It’s particularly meaningless because a lot of the characters that flash on screen weren’t even introduced in Chapter 1 .)

What does work here, of course, is the location scenery. You can’t beat the American West in the looks department. Also, the music, by John Debney, is the right kind of corny — it’s the loudest, most propulsive version of “you’ve just sat down to watch an introductory video at a state park” you’ve ever heard. This is a compliment, I swear.

It’s possible that Horizon will bomb so horribly Costner never makes it across the finish line. For curiosity’s sake, I really hope he gets there. They don’t make ‘em like this anymore.  Grade: C

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Marvel and Dark Horse Announce New Multi-Year Partnership

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Fans will be pleased to learn that two comic book publishing titans are joining forces. Marvel and Dark Horse Comics have announced a multi-year publishing collaboration beginning in the fall of 2024.

Per AIPT , a press release reveals that Marvel and Dark Horse's collaboration will feature art books focusing on new video games, artist monographs spotlighting legacy Marvel talent, typography, graphic design, plus retrospectives celebrating the history of Marvel collectibles. The collaboration includes the launch of Bullpen Books, a new line of deluxe art books that honor the works of legendary Marvel Comics characters and creators. The books, which are part of the new publishing partnership between Dark Horse and Marvel Comics, will debut this year. The Art of the Amazing Spider-Man by John Romita will be the first to arrive this October.

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The Art of the Amazing Spider-Man oversized hardcover features essays on Romita’s work, covers, and original art scans from the Marvel archives. Marvel and Dark Horse's upcoming art book projects include explorations of other iconic Marvel artists, writers, letterers, and colorists, plus insights into some of the publisher's most iconic franchises. The deluxe art books will give fans brand-new perspectives on the Marvel process and its content catalog.

Previously, Dark Horse revealed two art books tied to the Marvel’s Spider-Man video game franchise, The Art of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (and a Deluxe Edition) and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales —The Poster Collection. The publisher promises that upcoming titles will have a similar quality. Dark Horse also promises details regarding more projects and publication dates will arrive soon.

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Collaborators Discuss the Brand-New Dark Horse and Marvel Projects

Dark Horse President and Publisher, Mike Richardson is excited about the new partnership. "I grew up with the Marvel characters and their creators from my earliest days, so I’m very excited about this new collaboration," he said. "We're very excited about working with Marvel to highlight some of the greatest art and artists from their extensive library. I’m sure these books will be a special treat for comics fans everywhere," Richardson added.

John Lind, creative director, editor, and designer of the collaboration, discussed the upcoming project. "Our initial projects will concentrate on exploring the extensive artistic and design legacy of Marvel Comics , including the substantial contributions made by its iconic creative teams,' he said. "Combining the incredible depth and content within Marvel’s art archives with Dark Horse’s exceptional design and production will offer fans unparalleled editions of this material,” Lind added.

Marvel and Dark Horse Comics' new multi-year collaboration will officially begin with the arrival of John Romita's The Art of the Amazing Spider-Man on October 15, 2024.

Source: Dark Horse Comics via AIPT

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