The WW2 Movie That Finally Won Gary Oldman an Oscar After 35 Years Lands on New Streamer

Gary Oldman has been lighting up the screen for decades now, from back in 1986 with his breakout turn as punk rocker Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy to his more recent Apple TV+ prominence with the smash-hit spy thriller series Slow Horses. However, it wasn’t until 2018 that he finally captured his first Oscar statuette with the World War II historical drama Darkest Hour, in which he embodied the legendary figure of British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill. It was just one of three times he was nominated for an Academy Award, alongside Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Mank, and now, it’s coming to a new streaming platform for viewers to see. Paramount+ will be welcoming the critically acclaimed wartime flick on November 1.

Oldman’s win for Best Actor in a Leading Role was one of two accolades Darkest Hour was given by the Academy, and one of six awards the film was up for, including Best Picture. Despite all the attention and a Certified Fresh 84% Rotten Tomatoes score, the actor’s win is commonly seen as more of a recognition of his career than the performance itself, especially with worthy contenders like Timothée Chalamet for Call Me By Your Name and Daniel Kaluuya for Get Out in the running. Still, it was nonetheless hailed as a powerful, transformative turn by Oldman as a complicated, yet courageous man in the face of an existential threat to Western Europe. Surrounding him were Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily James, Stephen Dillane, Ben Mendelsohn, and Ronald Pickup, among others.

Directed by Joe Wright from a screenplay by Anthony McCarten, Darkest Hour begins in the early days of WWII and Churchill’s stint as Prime Minister. As the man who correctly recognized the threat Adolf Hitler posed, he was selected to replace the unpopular Neville Chamberlain and steer the U.K. in the middle of a pivotal moment in world history. Faced with the decision to try and negotiate peace or continue an uphill battle against Germany that may not result in victory, he takes a courageous stand against advisors and political adversaries alike and embraces his leadership role in a way that will eventually turn the tide of the war. He winds up rallying the country to his side, becoming the leader they needed in their darkest hour despite his faults.

What Has the ‘Darkest Hour’ Team Been Up to Lately?

For the time being, Oldman remains locked up with Slow Horses, which is currently in the middle of its fifth season on Apple TV+. His time leading the bumbling agents of Slough House as Jackson Lamb is far from over, too, after the series was secured through Season 7 earlier this year, thanks to an ever-increasing audience and seemingly endless critical acclaim. Darkest Hour‘s director, Wright, meanwhile, most recently returned to the 1900s to focus on another pivotal leader from WWII. He directed all eight episodes of the Sky Original series Mussolini: Son of the Century, which premiered on Sky Atlantic back in January. It starred Luca Marinelli as the titular Benito Mussolini as the eventual Italian dictator, and depicted his rise to political power and establishment of the Fasci Italiani in the 1920s. It, too, was widely praised, earning a strong 95% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and a 9/10 review from Collider’s Jeff Ewing, who said, “It’s a harrowing series, centered around a strong central performance, that needs to be seen, starkly reminding us that it’s never too late to be bold and stamp out fascist tendencies… until one day it is.

Darkest Hour arrives on Paramount+ on November 1. Stay tuned here at Collider for more on the biggest titles coming to and leaving streaming throughout the year.