Darkest Hour (2017) | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

84% Tomatometer 313 Reviews 82% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings

The fate of Western Europe hangs on Winston Churchill in the early days of World War II. The newly appointed British prime minister must decide whether to negotiate with Hitler or fight on against incredible odds. During the next four weeks in 1940, Churchill cements his legacy as his courageous decisions and leadership help change the course of world history.

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Darkest Hour

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Critics Consensus

Darkest Hour is held together by Gary Oldman's electrifying performance, which brings Winston Churchill to life even when the movie's narrative falters.

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Critics Reviews

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Darkest Hour (2017) | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Robert Daniels 812filmreviews Darkest Hour demonstrates the immense courage Churchill had. It doesn't fully absolve and deify him, rather humanizes. Rated: 3/4 Sep 5, 2018 Full Review Darkest Hour (2017) | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Mark Kermode Kermode & Mayo's Film Review I don't want to undermine my admiration for Gary Oldman's performance, but I think the film itself is flawed. Aug 28, 2018 Full Review Darkest Hour (2017) | Rotten Tomatoes (3) Michael Sragow Film Comment Magazine In Darkest Hour, Wright's charged, blustery framework pulls the audience into a distant political landscape. But his approach here is also limiting and nearly wearying. Mar 8, 2018 Full Review Darkest Hour (2017) | Rotten Tomatoes (4) Don Shanahan Every Movie Has a Lesson The film builds its mounting prospects of calamity and clashes of dissension with polish and gumption, avoiding many of the dull notes normally saddling most other behind-the-war-room yak-fests. Rated: 4/5 Apr 7, 2024 Full Review Darkest Hour (2017) | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Keith Garlington Keith & the Movies Joe Wright offers up compelling and timely lessons on conviction, persuasion, and the power of bipartisanship – all things our current governments could learn from. Rated: 4/5 Aug 20, 2022 Full Review Darkest Hour (2017) | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Stirring though the proceedings may sometimes be,Darkest Hourresists absolute immersion so that its audience will notice how much effort went into its making. Rated: 2.5/4 Mar 16, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Robert W Greatest movie of Churchill ever and Gary Oldman was sensational Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/22/24 Full Review Edgar R Inctedible movie! Loved it! Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/28/24 Full Review Patrick C It is unfortunate that a film showing how much attention its subject paid to his speeches should have been served by a screenplay that seemed so obviously 'written'. At times it seemed like there was a Churchill character checklist that was gradually ticked off - Drank like a fish? Check. Big on cigars? Check. Gets emotional? Check. Moody and stubborn? Check. And all those blatant character introductions in the script, rather ham fisted. Gary Oldman put in an excellent performance as the great man but so much of what surrounded his fine turn was deeply flawed. The camerawork and editing at times seemed rather too 'in your face' for a story of this kind and too many scenes struck me as so obviously 'staged' and directed. The great films succeed in making the viewer forget all the industry and planning behind the scenes, whereas I found myself constantly thinking how I was watching something very much 'created'. The scene on the Tube was ludicrous and the final scene in the Commons was laid on so thick it could have been Churchill applying mortar during one of his Chartwell wall-building sessions. So not a bad film but could have been so much better. Rated 2.5/5 Stars • Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 06/17/24 Full Review William L The acting is phenomenal, the pacing is perfect. A riveting true story, expertly told. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/17/24 Full Review Ricardo R Gary Oldman was indeed phenomenal on this one. And even without Gary's performance, this would still be a worthy watch. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/14/24 Full Review Frank P Excellent Movie. There are minor tweaks to the actual history but the overall fear of being alone to face the Nazi invasion is incredibly accurate. The acting is phenomenal along with the attention to detail in sets. Indeed, there's almost universal acclaim for Oldman's depiction of Churchill. Director is to be compleminted for telling an important story but at the same time keeping it fast-paced and interesting. This is one of the great movies of the 21st Century. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/30/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Joe Wright Director Gary Oldman Winston Churchill Kristin Scott Thomas Clementine Churchill Ben Mendelsohn King George VI Lily James Elizabeth Layton Ronald Pickup Neville Chamberlain
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Darkest Hour

Darkest Hour: Official Clip - Conquer We Must, Conquer We Shall Darkest Hour: Official Clip - Conquer We Must, Conquer We Shall 2:59 Darkest Hour: Official Clip - Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat Darkest Hour: Official Clip - Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat 4:06 Darkest Hour: Official Clip - We Shall Fight on the Beaches Darkest Hour: Official Clip - We Shall Fight on the Beaches 4:45 Darkest Hour: Official Clip - Churchill & Roosevelt Darkest Hour: Official Clip - Churchill & Roosevelt 2:59 Darkest Hour: Official Clip - The People of England Darkest Hour: Official Clip - The People of England 3:12 Darkest Hour: Official Clip - Death Before Disarmament Darkest Hour: Official Clip - Death Before Disarmament 3:26 Darkest Hour: Official Clip - Saving Dunkirk Darkest Hour: Official Clip - Saving Dunkirk 3:00 Darkest Hour: Official Clip - The Campaign of Resistance Darkest Hour: Official Clip - The Campaign of Resistance 3:16 Darkest Hour: Official Clip - Subterfuge in the Bunker Darkest Hour: Official Clip - Subterfuge in the Bunker 2:46 Darkest Hour: Official Clip - Up Your Bum Darkest Hour: Official Clip - Up Your Bum 1:49 View more videos

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Best Picture Mashup Best Picture Mashup 1:37 Transformers: Actors In Disguise Transformers: Actors In Disguise 2:11 Darkest Hour: Behind the Scenes - Five Weeks Darkest Hour: Behind the Scenes - Five Weeks 1:04 Darkest Hour: Behind the Scenes - Gary and Kristin Darkest Hour: Behind the Scenes - Gary and Kristin 1:16 Darkest Hour: Trailer 1 Darkest Hour: Trailer 1 2:20 See It/Skip It: Ben Mendelsohn Interview See It/Skip It: Ben Mendelsohn Interview 3:22 Darkest Hour: International Trailer 1 Darkest Hour: International Trailer 1 2:40 Darkest Hour: Trailer 2 Darkest Hour: Trailer 2 0:58 View more videos

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Darkest Hour

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Synopsis The fate of Western Europe hangs on Winston Churchill in the early days of World War II. The newly appointed British prime minister must decide whether to negotiate with Hitler or fight on against incredible odds. During the next four weeks in 1940, Churchill cements his legacy as his courageous decisions and leadership help change the course of world history.

Director
Joe Wright

Producer
Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce, Anthony McCarten, Douglas Urbanski

Screenwriter
Anthony McCarten

Distributor
Focus Features

Production Co
Working Title Films

Rating
PG-13 (Some Thematic Material)

Genre
History, Drama, Biography, War

Original Language
English

Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 22, 2017, Wide

Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 6, 2018

Box Office (Gross USA)
$56.3M

Runtime
2h 5m

Sound Mix
Dolby Atmos

Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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