Churchill
96 hours before the World War II invasion of Normandy, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill struggles with his severe reservations with Operation Overlord and his increasingly marginalized role in the war effort.
Cast
Brian Cox – Winston Churchill
Miranda Richardson – Clementine Churchill
John Slattery – Dwight D. Eisenhower
Ella Purnell – Helen
James Purefoy – King George VI
What Went Right
Not a bad performance from Cox at all. I’ve seen a few interpretations of Winston Churchill over the years and this man seems to nail it. His body language (waddling around holding a cigar) was a mirror image of the real-life man, I can’t fault the actor at all.
The set is good, highlighting the War Rooms superbly. I didn’t think I’d get such a lengthy glimpse of them but Churchill’s War Rooms were one of the main base points action took place on. The underground offices are touched upon with great likeness too, it makes very believable stuff.
What Went Wrong
On the downside I think this movie fails to provide A highly entertaining and engaging story. The movie opens happens and then finishes there really isn’t a lot of substance to it which is disappointing seeing as it was set during World War II. It could’ve contained so much more detail than it did for example smoking dark alleyways and bombs dropping from the sky in central London.
Sweeping German aircraft and other vehicles of war offering a looming presence of sheer dread something to give it that kick it needed, but unfortunately the beginning of the movie is set more or less at someone’s garden party which then streams slowly into Churchill’s house and in the war rooms – these of course being the only valuable piece of screen time giving Churchill a nicely authentic touch amongst an otherwise extremely dull backdrop.
I think this movie has gone hideously unnoticed too due to its lack of advertisement and a very short screening time at the cinema. Added to this is the fact a few other people in the movies have also played Winston Churchill so this is no Great surprising portrayal, it’s simply adding another link in the chain of those who have portrayed the great man. The lead actor does a fantastic job but overall the movie just wasn’t necessary and is another one fit for television instead of cinema.
And on to the next!..
Ricky's Film Reviews 