"Churchill" (2017 release from the UK; 105 min.) is a movie about Winston Churchill. As the movie opens, we are reminded it is "June 1944", and we see Churchill walking on the beach, thinking back to the horrors of a WWI amphibian attack that went horribly wrong. The action then movies to "Downing Street Annexe", where Churchill is seemingly practicing lines for an upcoming speech--we later learn that it is for a tete-a-tete with King George during one of the last briefings before D Day. At this point we're 10 min. into the movie but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.
Couple of comments: this is the latest movie from Australian director Jonathan Teplitzky. Here he brings a snapshot of Winston Churchill to the big screen. Don't call it a biopic as only the days leading up to D Day are covered. And what we see isn't a pretty picture. Churchill comes across as a cranky old man who is petulant and aloof. As the movie ends, the end titles inform us that "Churchill is viewed by many as the greatest Briton ever", and while it certainly is true that he was a great WWII leader, if what we see here reflects reality, Churchill also was a most unpleasant man. That makes the task of director Teplitzky much harder to make a movie that is compelling. I watched most of the movie simply being annoyed at Churchill. I can't imagine that was the intent of the film... Veteran UK actor Brian Cox does a fantastic job in the title role, but of course he cannot make Churchill into a sympathetic figure. I must wonder whether what we see in the film is an accurate reflection of what happened in the days leading up to D Day. Did Churchill really battle Eisenhower and Montgomery to stop D Day from happening? I have no idea. Given all the commotion that is portrayed, the movie is surprisingly flat-footed.
The movie opened recently at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati. The Friday evening screening where I saw this at was attended okay but not great (I'd guess about 15 people). If you are interested in WWII history or perhaps Churchill himself, I'd suggest you check this out, be it in the theater, on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray. Just don't expect a riveting movie, or a pleasant man.
Couple of comments: this is the latest movie from Australian director Jonathan Teplitzky. Here he brings a snapshot of Winston Churchill to the big screen. Don't call it a biopic as only the days leading up to D Day are covered. And what we see isn't a pretty picture. Churchill comes across as a cranky old man who is petulant and aloof. As the movie ends, the end titles inform us that "Churchill is viewed by many as the greatest Briton ever", and while it certainly is true that he was a great WWII leader, if what we see here reflects reality, Churchill also was a most unpleasant man. That makes the task of director Teplitzky much harder to make a movie that is compelling. I watched most of the movie simply being annoyed at Churchill. I can't imagine that was the intent of the film... Veteran UK actor Brian Cox does a fantastic job in the title role, but of course he cannot make Churchill into a sympathetic figure. I must wonder whether what we see in the film is an accurate reflection of what happened in the days leading up to D Day. Did Churchill really battle Eisenhower and Montgomery to stop D Day from happening? I have no idea. Given all the commotion that is portrayed, the movie is surprisingly flat-footed.
The movie opened recently at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati. The Friday evening screening where I saw this at was attended okay but not great (I'd guess about 15 people). If you are interested in WWII history or perhaps Churchill himself, I'd suggest you check this out, be it in the theater, on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray. Just don't expect a riveting movie, or a pleasant man.