Rating: 3 / 5 stars

Film biopics can be a hard thing to get right in more ways than one. For instance, “Gandhi” (1982) presented some events with historical accuracy, but ended up being boring and preachy, hiding the dishonorable acts committed by the titular historical figure under an aura of perfection. “Darkest Hour,” directed by Joe Wright, is a decent biopic but ends up having problems that are clearly there to create drama.

As “Darkest Hour” opens, it is 1940, and Neville Chamberlain (Ronald Pickup, “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”) is voted out as prime minister of Britain. Taking his place is Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman, “The Hitman’s Bodyguard”), who must prove himself worthy of such a position to both the British citizens and his colleagues, such as King George VI (Ben Mendelsohn, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”), as World War II presses on. One major problem that becomes clearer as the film progresses is that it feels less like an engaging experience and more like a collage of important events, just like “Gandhi.” This is mainly an issue with pacing. Some of the dialogue scenes drag out for so long, viewers will be enticed to go to sleep.

Another problem is how contrived much of it feels. Partway through, a subplot emerges where one of Churchill’s colleagues, Viscount Halifax (Stephen Dillane, “Zero Dark Thirty”), conspires with Chamberlain to get himself set up as prime minister if Churchill does not at least consider peace talks with Nazi Germany. It is an obvious attempt to create a villain when the film already has one in Adolf Hitler, albeit an off-screen one. Even worse, it is hard to know how to feel about that. The film acts like it should be challenging for the audience, but that runs the risk of making it sound like Hitler having his own slice of the world should be an option where any normal person would know that such a thing is unthinkable. Secondly, on his way to an important meeting near the end of the film, there is a scene where Churchill takes a train and asks several citizens what they think about peace talks with Hitler: They won’t stand for it. Again, this reeks of obviousness. Sorry, Joe Wright, but you will have to do better than that to win people over.

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the film is Oldman’s performance. Just watching footage of the real Winston Churchill makes it easier to spot some problems with his portrayal. First, the accent Oldman creates for the part is too thick. He also does not really look like Churchill. He just looks like an overweight Gary Oldman with some prosthetics for extra effect. When he shouts his dialogue, he dials the overacting scale up to 11, to the point where it is almost tempting to laugh. Is this the same Oldman who gave strong and perfectly calculated performances in works such as “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” and “The Dark Knight” trilogy? Either way, he does not deserve an Oscar this year.

Putting all of the film’s problems aside, it is well made. The lighting in the underground bunker scenes keeps the actors perfectly illuminated, and there are sweeping shots of the London cityscape that give a good sense of the environment. Shots of Churchill walking in silhouette are neatly framed. All of the actors (with the sad exception of Oldman) perform their parts well. Lily James’s (“Baby Driver”) Elizabeth Layton in particular provides a warm counterbalance to Churchill’s behavior.

Image from Universal Pictures UK via YouTube.com