Churchill

Name: Churchill
Genre: Biography, Drama, Thriller
Released: June 2, 2017
Duration: 105 min
Rating: 44
Cast: Brian Cox, Danny Webb, Ella Purnell, George Anton, James Purefoy

2017

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Mixed or average reviews based on 25 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 110 Ratings

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8.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 110 Ratings

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Churchill

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Movie Details & Credits

Lionsgate | Release Date: June 2, 2017 | PG

Starring: Brian Cox, Danny Webb, Ella Purnell, George Anton, James Purefoy, John Slattery, Jonathan Aris, Julian Wadham, Miranda Richardson, Richard Durden

Summary: June 1944. Allied Forces stand on the brink: a million soldiers are secretly assembled on the south coast of Britain, poised to invade Nazi-occupied Europe. One man stands in their way: Winston Churchill. Fearful of repeating, on his disastrous command, the mass slaughter of 1915, when over 500,000 soldiers were killed on the beaches ofJune 1944. Allied Forces stand on the brink: a million soldiers are secretly assembled on the south coast of Britain, poised to invade Nazi-occupied Europe. One man stands in their way: Winston Churchill. Fearful of repeating, on his disastrous command, the mass slaughter of 1915, when over 500,000 soldiers were killed on the beaches of Gallipoli. Exhausted by years of war and plagued by depression, Churchill is a shadow of the hero who has resisted Hitler’s Blitzkrieg. Should the D-Day landings fail, he is terrified he’ll be remembered as the architect of carnage. Only the unflinching support of Churchill’s brilliant, unflappable wife Clementine can halt the Prime Minister’s physical and mental collapse.… Expand

Director: Jonathan Teplitzky

Genre(s): Biography, Drama, Thriller

Rating: PG

Runtime: 105 min

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Critic Reviews

Gary Goldstein

Jun 1, 2017

Cox masterfully captures Churchill’s contradictory nature, obsessive dutifulness to queen and country, and a volatility born out of fear, desperation and impending loss. Read full review

Owen Gleiberman

May 29, 2017

Churchill is a small, watchable, rather prosaic backroom docudrama. Read full review

Empire Jonathan Pile

Jun 19, 2017

A fascinating but flawed portrait of a fascinating but flawed man. However, with Cox so good, it’s a surprise Churchill isn’t being held back until awards season. Read full review

Chuck Wilson

May 31, 2017

Cox’s delivery of Churchill’s “We will fight on the beaches” D-Day speech surely ranks among the best, but it’s a problem when a narrative feature’s most powerful scenes are drawn from historical text. Read full review

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky

May 31, 2017

The result is monotonous, its only memorable image being the salacious wink of Cox’s open fly, mid-frame during a shot of Churchill getting out a car. (Presumably this was the best take.) Read full review

Robert Abele

May 29, 2017

There’s a glimmer of a better movie in Richardson’s and Cox’s scenes, which suggest a thorny marriage that barely survived its low points, but it’s inevitably undercut by Teplitsky’s fondness for slo-mo memorializing, music overuse, and a simplistic pace that wants to brush away all the negativity with a well-timed come-to-Jesus moment, and a rousing radio speech. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Godfrey Cheshire

Jun 2, 2017

In the annals of historical biopics, Jonathan Teplitzsky’s Churchill stands out as a uniquely awful and tedious caricature of a fascinating subject. Read full review

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User Reviews

MomoMoa

Jun 20, 2017

This is not a movie for the cognitively impaired. It presents a window into the human side of the decisions made leading up to D-Day, and the conflicts they raised. These conflicts were personal, political, and societal, and are not something that can be expressed in either 140 characters,This is not a movie for the cognitively impaired. It presents a window into the human side of the decisions made leading up to D-Day, and the conflicts they raised. These conflicts were personal, political, and societal, and are not something that can be expressed in either 140 characters, or 90 minutes.

Don't expect a movie about D-Day, or war. Enjoy the window into politics at all levels, and the inherent complexity humanity injects into the process.… Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

Medd

Jun 20, 2017

Highly recommended. Absolutely fantastic movie. I'm going back again tomorrow. The historic accuracy in this work is first class. A true eye opener. Brian's portrayal of Churchill was truly inspiring and had me hooked from the first scene. The attention to detail in his mannerisms wereHighly recommended. Absolutely fantastic movie. I'm going back again tomorrow. The historic accuracy in this work is first class. A true eye opener. Brian's portrayal of Churchill was truly inspiring and had me hooked from the first scene. The attention to detail in his mannerisms were completely on point.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

Broyax

Jul 19, 2020

Je ne m'y attendais pas mais il s'agit du meilleur film sur Churchill, sensiblement au dessus de l'autre Churchill, celui des Heures Sombres certes magnifiquement interprété par Gary Oldman mais pas aussi convaincant néanmoins, pas aussi dense que le magistral tour de force de Brian Cox,Je ne m'y attendais pas mais il s'agit du meilleur film sur Churchill, sensiblement au dessus de l'autre Churchill, celui des Heures Sombres certes magnifiquement interprété par Gary Oldman mais pas aussi convaincant néanmoins, pas aussi dense que le magistral tour de force de Brian Cox, excellent acteur au demeurant mais qui signe ici le rôle de sa carrière, le rôle de toute une vie d'acteur, assurément ! d'autant qu'il est doublé ici par notre gloire nationale de la VF à nous, Jacques Frantz, tout simplement parfait.

L'autre Churchill se déroulait en juin 1940, celui-ci se passe quelques jours avant le Débarquement et met en lumière les doutes et les craintes du Premier Ministre britannique qui se remémore alors le désastre de Gallipoli en 1915 dont il fut l'instigateur... car si l'opération Overlord était indéniablement audacieuse, elle était très risquée également : elle aurait pu tourner au désastre !

Ainsi, ce portrait très humain d'un vieux lion en proie à l'incertitude, d'un vieil homme usé par déjà quatre années de guerre... une pression énorme et en même temps un dirigeant qui veut encore se mêler de tout alors que "Ike" le Commandant Suprême des Forces Alliées est désormais "l'homme de la situation"...

En dehors de Brian Cox, époustouflant, le reste de la distribution n'est pas en reste, de même que l'élégante musique de Lorne Balfe et si on peut reprocher un film un côté encore très emphatique, on apprécie sa belle densité (une heure et demi seulement) qui préserve le rythme, les enjeux, les caractères sans jamais ennuyer : on est au contraire fasciné, ému et très admiratif.

La période était agitée et imprévisible, la guerre totale, les décisions étaient lourdes de conséquences et le moral et les discours étaient aussi importants que les grandes offensives ; or on sait et la postérité le saura pour toujours, que le grand homme Winston Churchill a porté sa grande nation en des temps difficiles et impitoyables. Mais voilà que je fais dans l'emphase et la grandiloquence, moi aussi... comme Winston (et le Capitaine Haddock, je vais me resservir un verre !).… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

gxm143

Nov 29, 2017

Better than I had heard. Well acted. Not for action junckies. Unfortunately, a real disservice to the Canadian Army, which was part of the joint command, responsible for one of the five landing beaches and provided a quarter of the paratroopers, and suffered 15% of the first day deaths.Better than I had heard. Well acted. Not for action junckies. Unfortunately, a real disservice to the Canadian Army, which was part of the joint command, responsible for one of the five landing beaches and provided a quarter of the paratroopers, and suffered 15% of the first day deaths. People have complained of other historical inaccuracies; the ones that dishonor men who fought and died are most egregious. However, I was captivated by the film.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

TVJerry

Jun 4, 2017

In the final few days before D-Dav the titular English Prime Minister furiously fights the Allied Forces to abandon the invasion. His wife's support adds a personal slant. Brian Cox effectively captures the man's mannerisms, as he struggles mightily with the dilemmas (although not asIn the final few days before D-Dav the titular English Prime Minister furiously fights the Allied Forces to abandon the invasion. His wife's support adds a personal slant. Brian Cox effectively captures the man's mannerisms, as he struggles mightily with the dilemmas (although not as effectively as John Lithgow in last year's The Crown). Since he's in almost every shot, his bluster and apprehension get a bit tiresome. The tedious pacing and repetitive debate keep the film from ever creating any emotional resonance. At least the cinematography is pretty.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

MattBrady99

Aug 12, 2019

I have to give Brian Cox all the credit for this performance, as he puts his heart & soul into this. Unfortunately I can't say the rest for the movie itself. Just like what I said about "Mr. Holmes", this could've been a TV movie, not a feature film. Nothing too exciting or interestingI have to give Brian Cox all the credit for this performance, as he puts his heart & soul into this. Unfortunately I can't say the rest for the movie itself. Just like what I said about "Mr. Holmes", this could've been a TV movie, not a feature film. Nothing too exciting or interesting happens in this story about the paranoia The British Bulldog faced. Oh and by the way, the good guys won the war. Just in cause you didn't know, according to the film.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

IainOfToronto

Feb 1, 2020

An uneven account of much of this man's history.

Brian Cox was not too bad but the screenplay over-highlighted Churchill's few positives and all but touched upon his many serious flaws as a human being.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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