Two ‘Slow Horses’ Stars Officially Reunite in an Oscar-Winning WWII Epic on Prime Video
Prime Video has added Joe Wright’s *Darkest Hour*, a Second World War drama about Winston Churchill’s early days as Prime Minister. The film offers a view of the war from political corridors, complementing *Dunkirk*’s focus on the front lines, and features two actors also seen in *Slow Horses*: Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas.
Oldman plays Churchill, a role that earned him the Best Actor Oscar after earlier nominations for *Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy* and later one for *Mank*. Lily James and Ben Mendelsohn also star; the film was both a box-office hit and a critical success, though its portrayal of Churchill drew criticism for being whitewashed.
In short
- *Darkest Hour* has arrived on Prime Video.
- Gary Oldman won an Oscar for playing Churchill.
- The film’s portrayal of Churchill also faced criticism.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Darkest Hour can be defended as a focused historical drama that makes Churchill’s leadership and the political pressures of May 1940 accessible to a broad audience. Its account of a pivotal period need not capture every part of the war to offer a compelling complement to films centred on the fighting, and Gary Oldman’s performance was widely recognised.
The case against
A dramatic portrait of Churchill can make a contested leader appear more heroic and decisive than the historical record warrants, especially if it leaves out the costs of his policies and the perspectives of people affected by them. Critics’ concerns about whitewashing point to the risk that cinematic choices turn a complex wartime history into a celebratory account.
Explained simply
In 1940, Winston Churchill became Britain’s Prime Minister as Nazi Germany advanced across Europe. His government faced urgent decisions about whether to keep fighting and how to respond to the threat of invasion.
Darkest Hour tells the story from inside the political leadership, while Dunkirk focuses on the evacuation of Allied troops from France. Gary Oldman plays Churchill, with Kristin Scott Thomas among the cast; both actors also appear in the television series Slow Horses.
The film was widely praised and Oldman won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance. Its depiction of Churchill was also criticised by some as whitewashed, making the way the film presents its central figure part of its reception.