It is Monday, and Cameo cinema shows movies for £7.50 all day. Good deal. I packed myself in, with maybe 50-60 more people. It is a small screening room and full.
The movie was good. I liked it, but not loved it. Indeed, Gary Oldman made the performance of his life, and the Oscar and countless other awards will be his.
With 2 hours runtime is moderate. Biopics tend to go epic, not this one. I thought it was appropriate.
The first shot was dazzling. The camera started in a birds perspective over the parliament debate, came slowly down and ended in a close-up f the speaker. Wow, if the movie sucks, it will have at least great cinemaphotography. The film is gorgeous to look at it.
There are some shots which picture Churchill in the centre of the frame and all darkness around him. It does go very well with the title. Some choices are merely breathtaking. One for example when Churchill made his first radio broadcast. "As soon as the light goes red, you will be live. 9 pm sharp" Well, you never saw a more red light than this. Like a professional photo laboratory. But it has a good effect. Darkness surrounds, and it's gripping around Britain. This shot heightens it.
But it isn't all gloomy here. In fact, the movie has a lot of one-liners or comedy moments. Not laugh out loud, but chuckles. The best moments are when Churchill gets sarcastic. And the old-fashioned "stiff upper lip" mentality of Brits.
Technically this is a very well crafted movie. How does it look on the actual story?
Well, let's see if you recognise this storyline:
The movie is just a few days of the life of one of the central leader in the second world war. Hmm
In a lot of scenes, it plays in a bunker, underground of a capital city. Ahmm
Oh, it also features a personal secretary of the mentioned leader. Ohh, I get it.
Yes, almost the same we had in the Downfall. A movie about the last day of Adolf Hitler. Well, that movie was terrifying and good.
Now, it is not a 1 to 1 copy from the Downfall, but I sat there and couldn't believe how many accordances there was. The tone is urgent, and we feel the weight of the decisions that Churchill has to make. But it also has quite a few funny moments. We do get a few reliefs of tension. I expected something different.
The weakest point was, in my opinion, the relationship between Churchill and the secretary Elisabeth. I get it, we want to see Churchill more from his human side, but some scenes are so unbelievable, that I thought it is a compromise for the mainstream audience.
Ok, for the favour of the story, some stuff was "invented". Some worked, some don't. I loved the touch between the King and Churchill on a late night visit.
Final thoughts: a well crafted, technically excellent movie with a Gary Oldman in an all-time best. It lacked a bit of urgency. We all know how it ends but shouldn't expect it.
I suggest to watch this first, then Nolans Dunkirk, which plays a part in it and for the final film Downfall. You won't regret it.
Rating 7/10