Into the Storm (2009) (TV)

	Directed by: Thaddeus O'Sullivan	COUNTRY USA GENRE Drama/History/Biography NORWEGIAN TITLE Into the Storm RUNNING TIME 100 minutes
	Produced by: Frank Doelger Julie Payne Tracey Scoffield Ann Wingate
	Written by: Frank Doelger Julie Payne Tracey Scoffield Ann Wingate

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Winston Churchill	Brendan Gleeson	½
King George	Iain Glen
Jock Collville	James D'Arcy	½
Clemmie Churchill	Janet McTeer
Roosevelt	Len Cariou	½
Maj-General Bernard Montgomery	Patrick Malahide
Clement Attlee	Bill Paterson
Halifax	Donald Sumpter
Josef Stalin	Aleksei Petrenko

Review

Picking up where The Gathering Storm left off, but with new personnel in front of and behind the camera, Into the Storm tells the tale of WWII as seen through the eyes of Winston Churchill and the people around him. It is a nuanced, believable, and adequately sentimental portrait elevated by the brilliant Brendan Gleeson in the lead. Gleeson, sporting a bald wig and Churchill's famous diction, doesn't take long to wipe out the difference between himself and the legendary statesman. He conveys the complex and ambiguous nature of Churchill's persona in an expert manner, and the filmmakers are keen to emphasize the utterly conservative Churchill as a necessary bridge between the old-fashioned form of government and our modern democracy. Churchill's balance between loose-tongued egotist and brilliant philosophical orator gives the film an amusing edge – particularly in segments showing Churchill as a diplomat. Some very moving scenes, including those involving Gleeson and Ian Glen, plus the final segment at the theatre, provide a classy icing on this well-directed cake.

Copyright © 30.10.2009 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang

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