We’ve seen the stills, we’ve watched the trailers and we may have even heard some buzz, but now the time has come for Steven Spielberg’s highly anticipated feature, Lincoln, to hit the big screen. Is it the masterpiece everyone is hoping for or is another mediocre period piece from the highly praised director?
Lincoln follows the life Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis) through his final four months as President. The entire feature follows Lincoln as he tries to decide what’s more important, passing the 13 amendment to abolish slavery for good or ending the war and prevent countless lives from being lost on the battlefield. While this debate rages on in his mind and with his cabinet members, most of the focus throughout the film is on trying to get enough votes in the House of Representatives to have the amendment passed before Lincoln has to meet with the representatives from the South. His ultimate goal though is to do both, to unite his nation once again while making all men free.
At the same time, Lincoln is also dealing with turmoil in another house, his own. His Robert (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) wants to join the military and his wife (Sally Field), who is barely keeping herself together, is trying to do everything to prevent it as she still mourns the death of her son William and couldn’t emotionally bear to lose another one. The inclusion of the family troubles gives us a 360 degree look at the life of one of our nation’s greatest Presidents.
I was skeptical about Lincoln when I sat down to watch it. I had been hearing mixed things about the film, excluding the performances, and so I went in expecting it to be along the decent lines of War Horse, which I wasn’t a huge fan of. By the time the movie ended I realized that this was Spielberg’s best film since Munich. Much of this is due to Daniel Day-Lewis’ inspirational performance as the 16th President of the United States but much of it also has to do with what Spielberg did differently, he avoided his typical film trademarks and also showed a ton of restraint to make sure the film never felt misguided and cheesy. Like Lincoln himself, he made this film honest and poignant, building up tension and excitement during voting situations, never letting his characters stray from their convictions, and shedding light on all the difficult aspects of Lincoln’s life that made the president the distraught and wise man that we all know he was.
If you want to appreciate and enjoy Lincoln, like Spielberg, you must be patient as this film is basically 145 minutes of talking. This movie is a political film in every sense of the word. It’s slow moving, bureaucratic, and all about making deals and compromises to get things accomplished. It never seems to exaggerate for the sake of entertaining the audience and it paints and honest and realistic picture of what politics was probably like in 1865.
As expected, Daniel Day-Lewis is the lifeblood of this film; every moment he is on screen is not to b
e missed. His portrayal of Lincoln is unlike that of any other that has portrayed the man in the past, reverting away from the stereotypical deep voice and encapsulating the spirit of the man who helped push our nation forward. It is known that Lincoln was a jokester, a persuasive man and a storyteller and Day-Lewis naturally captures and delivers these characteristics with ease, providing much needed comic relief at times while mesmerizing us with his eloquent words as if he really were the President. And as good as he was when he’s speaking, it’s Day-Lewis’ non-verbal cues that are also impressive. You could see how focused the man was, how he would listen and soak up every word that peope said, analyzing and thinking clearly before he took his turn to speak or make a decision. This is what acting is about and Day-Lewis shows why he is one of the masters of the art today.
I have to quickly mention Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens (Tommy Lee Jones), for without him Lincoln would not have been able to accomplish his goals. Tommy Lee Jones was a welcomed sight to the screen, he was passionate and, most importantly, he was hilarious in his angry ways and made sure that he got done what needed to be done. I suspect a potential supporting actor nomination for him come Oscar time.
Lincoln tells an anecdote to his cabinet after giving a long speech about a pastor who said that “I could preach shorter sermons but I get too lazy to stop.” This comical comment could summarize Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln. While most definitely long winded, the words spoken and the road travelled throughout the film all has a point and is all relevant, and though I don’t think it’s out of laziness one still can appreciate what they’ve seen and heard and can put up with its duration for the sake of the individual telling the story. Though not a masterpiece, Lincoln is a triumphant biopic for those who have the patience and wherewithal to sit through it.
Rating: Not a film you must see but most certainly one you should see (7.5/10)
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