throw in the film's pervading sense of hope and decency in the face of seemingly unstoppable fascism, and Darkest Hour is victorious in adding dimension to an iconic statesman
this tightly coiled retelling of Churchill's first days in office is more than (yet another) passionate appeal to our collective goodness; it's a deliciously unsubtle testament to the power of words and their infinite capacity to inspire
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
the performance is a marvel, not merely leaping over what could have been a stunt, but deepening into a soulful portrayal of wartime leadership, tinged with ego, doubt and the demands of a terrible moment
from its grab-for-all-the-gusto Gary Oldman performance to its direction by Joe Wright, "Darkest Hour" is nothing if not an energetic, showy piece of work, but some types of showy have more staying power than others
by Brian Truitt [USA Today ]
by Peter Travers [Rolling Stone ]
