Oldman is a tour de force in new Darkest Hour trailer

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Fans of Gary Oldman may rejoice, for this year may finally be the year the acclaimed actor begins to gather the awards he has been denied for years with his stirring performance in DARKEST HOUR. Oldman has been receiving wild acclaim for his work as Winston Churchill in Joe Wright’s biopic about the famed Prime Minister’s actions during WWII, and the movie itself got high marks out of TIFF. Pundits are saying the awards are his for the taking this year, and now you can see why in the new trailer for the flick.

Here is a full synopsis, and check out the new poster below!

During the early days of World War II, with the fall of France imminent, Britain faces its darkest hour as the threat of invasion looms.  As the seemingly unstoppable Nazi forces advance, and with the Allied army cornered on the beaches of Dunkirk, the fate of Western Europe hangs on the leadership of the newly-appointed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Academy Award nominee Gary Oldman).  While maneuvering his political rivals, he must confront the ultimate choice: negotiate with Hitler and save the British people at a terrible cost or rally the nation and fight on against incredible odds.  Directed by Joe Wright, DARKEST HOUR is the dramatic and inspiring story of four weeks in 1940 during which Churchill’s courage to lead changed the course of world history. 

This is the second movie this year to tell a story surrounding the event in which Allied forces were trapped on the beaches of Dunkirk by the Germans, the first being Christopher Nolan's DUNKIRK, which earned rave reviews and a healthy box office cume earlier this year. Awards pundits agree the Academy may have trouble nominating two movies about Dunkirk for major awards, with the current favorite being placed on Nolan's film. But one thing is for sure: this is Oldman's year. His work is being hailed as a career best, and if this doesn't nab him the gold then nothing will. The actor deserves it given his marvelous body of work, and he looks utterly unrecognizable here. If I could melt down some gold and give him my own award, I would.

DARKEST HOUR with Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily James, Stephen Dillane, Ronald Pickup, and Ben Mendelsohn arrives November 22.