Just like how this year saw two
different Snow White movies come out, 2012 is also the year that sees
the release of two films focused on our 16th president,
Abraham Lincoln, and both couldn't be any more different from each
other. In late June, there was 'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter'
based on the 2010 mash-up novel of the same name by Seth
Grahame-Smith. Obviously, that film wasn't really historically
accurate, so if you're looking for a more faithful portrayal of
Lincoln, then you are better off with Steven Spielberg's 'Lincoln',
which is also based off of a novel ('Team of Rivals: The Political
Genius of Abraham Lincoln' by Doris Kearns Goodwin), starring Daniel
Day-Lewis as Lincoln in the final days of his life leading up the end
of the Civil War and his tragic assassination. As one might expect
from a great actor like himself, Day-Lewis is exceptional in the role
of Lincoln and the whole movie around him, even if it is rather slow
in pace, provides an intriguing look into America's government during
one of the country's darkest moments.
The film begins in 1865, as the Civil
War is nearing its end. As President Lincoln (Day-Lewis) begins his
second term in office, he strives to get the Thirteenth Amendment
passed, which would abolish slavery once and for all, the prime issue
that has been plaguing the country. However, Lincoln has to do more
in order to get enough votes to approve the Amendment, more
specifically appeal to some of the Democratic members of the House of
Representatives who are certainly planning on voting against it.
Meanwhile, Lincoln is pressured by his cabinet to be more focused on
negotiating peace with the Confederates, even though Lincoln knows
that if he does this, the Amendment may never get passed. This puts
Lincoln in a race against time as the future of the country is at
stake.
If you're heading into this movie
looking for some Civil War action, you'll be disappointed... and
possibly bored if you're not careful. This movie is not about the
actual Civil War itself. It's actually focused around the political
side of the whole event as Congress debates over the Thirteenth
Amendment. Admittedly, the movie is a bit slow (especially
considering that it's over two hours long) but each scene where the
House of Representatives meets to discuss the Amendment keeps your
interest throughout the entire film. Spielberg even shows how
sometimes politics were as crooked back then as they were today.
Lincoln and his cabinet are shown constantly researching on any
possible Democrat member of the House who they could possibly
convince to vote on their side.
Spielberg also does a great job in the
way he portrays Lincoln more than the legend that he is. He's still
human, as he tries to do what he knows is the right thing to do. A
lot of that comes from Daniel Day-Lewis' performance. Obviously, this
guy is a acting legend, and it's amazing how he just disappears into
these roles. It's one of those cases where you forget that he's not
actually Lincoln because he is so convincing in the role. Of course,
the rest of this vast ensemble cast is great too. Tommy Lee Jones
just steals every scene that he's in as the Radical Republican
Thaddeus Stevens, and Sally Field is excellent as First Lady Mary
Todd Lincoln. Probably my only problem though is that some of these
actors were rather underused, like Jared Harris as Ulysses S. Grant
and even Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Lincoln's oldest son Robert.
Still, there's no denying that this is
a great film. Spielberg grounds Lincoln in reality and doesn't try to
glorify him too much. True, he may be one of our nation's most famous
presidents, but he was still just a man trying to keep the country
together. The film also benefits from Daniel Day-Lewis's terrific and
truly Oscar-worthy performance as Lincoln. But really, can you go
wrong with a cast that also includes Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones,
amongst others? True, the movie goes along fairly slowly and a
run-time of over two hours is pretty long but it's worth it just for
the incredible performances. 'Lincoln' is easily the best film that
Spielberg has done in a long time and may just be the best film based
on Abraham Lincoln as well.
Rating: 4/5
No comments:
Post a Comment