Lincoln

I was going to start this review with a joke about vampire hunters, but “Lincoln” the latest from Steven Spielberg deserves more respect than that.  It’s not just a story, it’s an intimate and focused look back at a very important time in our history.  The film does not show Abraham Lincoln as a boy, or tough lawyer, or even trying to become president.  This film shows us the worn down aged prize fighter of the people, all the people and what he did and inspired others to do in order to claim equality among all Americans.  Or more to the point, African Americans.

Set in the weeks leading up to the end of the Civil War and the voting of the 13^th Amendment we see the trials and tribulations that Lincoln’s administration had to endure to make his dream a reality.  Leading the way is Daniel Day Lewis (There Will be Blood) as Lincoln, who plays it very quiet and understated leaving it to others to play it big like Sally Field who is amazing as his wife Mary Todd, David Strathairn as his Secretary of State, as well as ‘incredible in every scene they are in’, both Bruce McGill and James Spader, yes, that James Spader, Steph from “Pretty in Pink”, most notably is Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens who brings it “The Fugitive” style.  They are just a few of the great performances that carry the film.  There is air of Shakespeare to the film as well, as we hear people talk unlike they do now.  There is also that sense of Shindler, as we get the feeling of Lincoln knowing that his actions will be important for the future of mankind and letting little stand in his way.

The only thing that takes away from this being a classic is that the filmmakers try to juggle the 13^th Amendment and the Civil War in a very short period of time.  There are really great scenes revolving around both, some with Lincoln just sitting in a chair shouting about the importance of the Amendment, and other scenes with his eldest son played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  These scenes are powerful but don’t add up to the whole in a satisfactory way, and what that comes down to is “stakes”.  We all know the history, even if we don’t know exactly how it played out, but there is no real weight to the build-up when you know the outcome here.  Some movies do it well, mostly sports movies, and Spielberg even did it in “Shindler’s List”, but even though everything feels centered around the finale, it just doesn’t deliver all the way.

In the end what we get with “Lincoln” is a beautiful film, with fantastic performances, a great sense of history, and while it is not destined to be a classic, I would love for this to be required watching in schools for years to come.

--Robert L. Castillo