Darkest Hour

Play trailer

2:20

Darkest Hour

PG-13

2017

2h 5m

History

Drama

Biography

War

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

84%

Tomatometer

309 Reviews

83%

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.

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Robert Daniels

812filmreviews

09/05/2018

3/4

Darkest Hour demonstrates the immense courage Churchill had. It doesn't fully absolve and deify him, rather humanizes.

Go to Full Review

Mark Kermode

Kermode & Mayo's Film Review

08/28/2018

I don't want to undermine my admiration for Gary Oldman's performance, but I think the film itself is flawed.

Go to Full Review

Michael Sragow

Film Comment Magazine

03/08/2018

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.

Go to Full Review

Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

04/07/2024

4/5

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.

Go to Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

08/20/2022

4/5

Joe Wright offers up compelling and timely lessons on conviction, persuasion, and the power of bipartisanship – all things our current governments could learn from.

Go to Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

03/16/2022

2.5/4

Stirring though the proceedings may sometimes be, Darkest Hour resists absolute immersion so that its audience will notice how much effort went into its making.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Tim S.

@RottenTim May 25

Incredible performance by Gary Oldman! Well done movie

See more

Levi J

@Lev77 Mar 29

Amazing acting performance and a rather great movie overall with a deep look into Churchill's life! Just a little, possible problems executing the historical accuracy.

See more

Henry D

@Henry_Domke Mar 28

A great film, everything works. An inspiring story, anchored by Gary Oldman’s perfect turn as Churchill, with remarkably convincing makeup. The pacing and editing are tight, the music is strong, and the cinematography and sets give it a rich, fully realized look. It sustains tension throughout. This is the third time we’ve seen it, and each time we’ve rated it 5 stars. Top notch.

See more

Stephen C

@bob25009 Mar 1

Academy Award winner in 2018 for Best Actor (Gary Oldman). 90th Annual Academy Awards ceremony.

See more

Rune B

@Runeboersjoe Feb 20

The cast is fantastic. However I cannot in good faith recommend a movie that posits itself as "historical", but falsifies entire scenes that inform Churchill's character, such as that on the underground - which never actually happened. A scene that is shown to the audience as being pivotal to Churchill's decision to fight.

See more

Poojan J.

@pjhaveri Feb 10

Solid but not enough about the war

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

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

Darkest Hour: Official Clip - Conquer We Must, Conquer We Shall

2:59

Darkest Hour: Official Clip - Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat

4:06

Darkest Hour: Official Clip - We Shall Fight on the Beaches

4:45

Darkest Hour: Official Clip - Churchill & Roosevelt

2:59

Darkest Hour: Official Clip - The People of England

3:12

Darkest Hour: Official Clip - Death Before Disarmament

3:26

Darkest Hour: Official Clip - Saving Dunkirk

3:00

Darkest Hour: Official Clip - The Campaign of Resistance

3:16

Darkest Hour: Official Clip - Subterfuge in the Bunker

2:46

Darkest Hour: Official Clip - Up Your Bum

1:49

View more videos

Victoria & Abdul

65%

68%

Victoria & Abdul

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Victoria & Abdul

Unbroken

53%

70%

Unbroken

Watchlist

Testament of Youth

84%

78%

Testament of Youth

Watchlist

Blitz

81%

81%

Blitz

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Blitz

Radioactive

63%

43%

Radioactive

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Radioactive

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Transformers: Actors in Disguise

Rotten Tomatoes Predicts the Oscars 2018

Where to Watch Every 2018 Oscar Nominee

Best Picture Mashup

1:37

Transformers: Actors In Disguise

2:11

Darkest Hour: Behind the Scenes - Five Weeks

1:04

Darkest Hour: Behind the Scenes - Gary and Kristin

1:16

Darkest Hour: Trailer 1

2:20

See It/Skip It: Ben Mendelsohn Interview

3:22

Darkest Hour: International Trailer 1

2:40

Darkest Hour: Trailer 2

0:58

View more videos

View more photos

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)