Churchill

This heartfelt drama is geared around a magnificent lead performance from Brian Cox as the wartime leader. On the brink of D-Day, Allied forces await the go-ahead for Operation Overlord. However, haunted by his disastrous Gallipoli campaign during the First World War, the iconic British statesman is scared of making a similar mistake that will lead to mass slaughter. He's exhausted by the war and nearing mental collapse, so it's up to his unflappable, no-nonsense wife Clementine (Miranda Richardson) to restore his confidence and backbone. Hitting all the right notes, this heartfelt drama is skilfully positioned around one man's self-doubt, depression and sense of destiny, with Cox personifying Churchill without resort to mimicry or make-up. Director Jonathan Teplitzky (The Railway Man) expertly marshals the material into an engaging history lesson that teems with praiseworthy supporting turns from the likes of John Slattery (as Eisenhower) and James Purefoy (as George VI).