Back to trending
Darkest Hour

Darkest Hour

Drama · History · 2017

In May 1940, the fate of World War II hangs on Winston Churchill, who must decide whether to negotiate with Adolf Hitler or fight on knowing that it could mean the end of the British Empire.

Movie details

Darkest Hour

“Never give up. Never give in.”

2017 Drama · History 2h 5m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

7.4 / 10

236.3K votes

Rotten Tomatoes

84 %

Tomatometer

Metacritic

75 / 100

Metascore

TMDB

7.4 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

In May 1940, the fate of World War II hangs on Winston Churchill, who must decide whether to negotiate with Adolf Hitler or fight on knowing that it could mean the end of the British Empire.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Darkest Hour?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Victoria & Abdul

Victoria & Abdul

Drama · 2017

Queen Victoria strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk named Abdul Karim.

The Dig

The Dig

Drama · 2021

As WWII looms, a wealthy widow hires an amateur archaeologist to excavate the burial mounds on her estate. When they make a historic discovery, the echoes of Britain's past resonate in the face of its uncertain future‎.

The Monuments Men

The Monuments Men

War · 2014

Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, The Monuments Men is an action drama focusing on seven over-the-hill, out-of-shape museum directors, artists, architects, curators, and art historians who went to the front lines of WWII to rescue the world’s artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and return them to their rightful owners. With the art hidden behind enemy lines, how could these guys hope to succeed?

Munich - The Edge of War

Munich - The Edge of War

Drama · 2021

At the tense 1938 Munich Conference, former friends who now work for opposing governments become reluctant spies racing to expose a Nazi secret.

Denial

Denial

Drama · 2016

Acclaimed writer and historian Deborah E. Lipstadt must battle for historical truth to prove the Holocaust actually occurred when David Irving, a renowned denier, sues her for libel.

Flyboys

Flyboys

Drama · 2006

The adventures of the Lafayette Escadrille, young Americans who volunteered for the French military before the U.S. entered World War I, and became the country's first fighter pilots.

The Gathering Storm

The Gathering Storm

Drama · 2002

A love story offering an intimate look inside the marriage of Winston and Clementine Churchill during a particularly troubled, though little-known, moment in their lives.

Overlord

Overlord

Drama · 1975

During World War II, a young man is called up and, with an increasing sense of foreboding, undertakes his army training ready for D-Day, June 6th, 1944.

The Six Triple Eight

The Six Triple Eight

Drama · 2024

During World War II, the US Army's only all-Black, all-women battalion takes on an impossible mission: sorting through a three-year backlog of 17 million pieces of mail that hadn't been delivered to American soldiers and finish within six months.

Lion of the Desert

Lion of the Desert

History · 1981

Resistance leader Omar Mukhtar opposes Italian colonization before World War II. The brutal guerrilla war against Italian General Rodolfo Graziani and the Fascist forces of Benito Mussolini highlights the struggle for Libyan independence and the harsh tactics utilised by the colonisers.

Where it lives

Watch in your region.

Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.

Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.

Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Joe Wright

Written by

Anthony McCarten

Gary Oldman

Gary Oldman

Winston Churchill

Stephen Dillane

Stephen Dillane

Viscount Halifax

Lily James

Lily James

Elizabeth Layton

Ronald Pickup

Ronald Pickup

Neville Chamberlain

Ben Mendelsohn

Ben Mendelsohn

King George VI

Kristin Scott Thomas

Kristin Scott Thomas

Clemmie

Nicholas Jones

Nicholas Jones

Sir John Simon

Court is in session

Put Darkest Hour on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.