I predict an Oscar nomination for Gary Oldman in a riveting tour-de-force playing Winston Churchill in ‘The Darkest Hour.’   The movie depicts a few key weeks right before and immediately after Churchill became prime minister in 1940.  He was a flawed man, cantankerous and opinionated, but the right man at the right time to lead his country into a war against the seemingly unstoppable Nazi war machine.  Christopher Nolan’s ‘Dunkirk’ took us through what happened through the eyes of people who were there.  Joe Wright’s ‘Darkest Hour’ demonstrates the strategy and politics of how Churchill, with practically his whole party against him, the party leaders still seeking appeasement, remained steadfast in the defense of good against evil, and came up with the plan given the code name  Operation Dynamo.  We also get to see Churchill’s humanity as he banters with his wife (played by Kristin Scott Thomas, who should have had more screen time) and rides the underground to get a feeling of what the ordinary people think.  This movie is a good introduction to this tumultuous time  and might make people research the reasons and background of how Churchill led the British and their Commonwealth at a time they truly ‘stood alone’ against what seemed impossible odds (the United States wouldn’t send aid to the British at this stage of the war, as they faced their “Darkest Hour,’ because of our isolationism and neutrality. It is almost saddening seeing Oldman, as Churchill, reacting to Roosevelt’s inability to send help).  Another thing I loved about this movie was the use of some of Churchill’s speeches. He was a top rate orator and wrote his own, unlike most politicians today. Because he wrote them, they sound honest, powerful and inspiring.  I highly recommend this movie to people who like to see the behind the scenes history of great leaders – warts and all!