Into the Storm follows British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Brendan Gleeson, 28 Days Later) as he launches ferociously into World War II. The movie’s greatest strength comes from a shifting back and forth in time, portraying Churchill’s post-war life as well, when the very qualities that made him so effective as a military leader threaten both his career and his marriage. Anyone seeking a detailed analysis of the war will be disappointed; Into the Storm skips through history, less interested in the ebb and flow of combat than the weighing of decisions and the composition of speeches. Although this may sound uncinematic, Gleeson does a remarkable job articulating Churchill’s creative thoughts as he walks to and fro in his bedclothes, mulling over the right phrase to sustain his country’s morale, or facing FDR and Stalin across a table, working to shape an effective alliance. Janet McTeer (Tumbleweeds) is even better as Clementine Churchill, a woman who never sought the political life yet strove to support her belligerent, passionate husband as best she could. Written by Hugh Whitemore (author of Breaking the Code and The Gathering Storm, to which this is a sort of sequel), Into the Storm is a complex, well-rounded portrait, capturing how courage and indomitability can, in peacetime, turn brutish and bullying. --Bret Fetzer

Stills from Into the Storm (click for larger image)