Admittedly, I am a history buff. I'm one of "those people" who has things like favorite historical time periods or a favorite US president. For me, Lincoln is that favorite. So when I heard about a Lincoln movie directed by the great Steven Spielberg, needless to say I was intrigued. With the film being released on DVD this week, we thought we'd let you know what we thought.
PLOT
You would think this was a biography, but you'd be wrong. This film is first and foremost about Abraham Lincoln's battle to pass the Thirteenth Amendment banning slavery. The lack of biographical background is my only real problem with the film. At the start of the movie, you expect a flashback or something to show us how Lincoln got here, but none is given. This leaves you feeling like you've missed something throughout the film. We also see brief glimpses of Abe's family matters, but not enough time is spent on these to really make us care. Other than that, the story is well crafted. We are given a glimpse into the politics of 19th century America with all its struggles and gridlock and discover not much has changed. Perhaps the story's greatest feat is that despite knowing exactly how the movie would end, I was still highly invested in Lincoln's struggles and genuinely concerned with each setback.
DIALOGUE
Any political drama lives and dies by its dialogue. Lincoln is no different and it hits it out of the park. Daniel Day Lewis as Lincoln delivers many inspirational and captivating lines. The film's strongest aspect is the quality of the performances given by the ensemble cast. Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones and Sally Field to name only a few. Each cast member brings a humanity, life and a voice to these characters we've all learned about in history books but never quite seemed real. The dialogue in the film propels Lewis to be the definitive Abraham Lincoln on film. His performance humanizes the popular figure while also retaining his larger than life image. His words are given prominence and to great effect. My favorite moments came when Lewis's Lincoln began a story. Each story in the film takes some time to tell and each time, the camera remains fixed on Lincoln as we, the audience and his on-screen listeners, are captivated by his words. The director's message here is clear: this man, in all his gentleness, commanded attention.
VISUALS
Each shot of this film was clearly well thought out and choreographed. Some shots linger longer than usual, but all of it serves the story and the dialogue. The sets and costumes are gorgeous and do even more to bring to life things we've only seen in black and white photos. The high quality of the visuals in Lincoln should come as a surprise to no one familiar with Spielberg's work.
CHARACTERS
The titular character of Lincoln is obviously the stand out here, but there is still plenty to be said about the rest of the personalities at work here. From cabinet members to congressmen to those involved in certain back room Washington deals, the ensemble cast presents numerous, fleshed out characters who give us a sense of the tone and feeling of the divided nation of the time. The only gripe I have when it comes to characters is Lincoln's son Robert, played by Joseph Gordon Levitt. I couldn't help feeling like there was more to Robert Lincoln than the narrative suggests and he came off very one-dimensional.
DRAMA
Lincoln is an almost perfect convergence of amazing visuals, dialogue and story delivering a beautiful drama. But you will appreciate it more if you are a fan of history and/or politics.
Overall, Lincoln is a very enjoyable film if you know what you're getting into. With masterful performances by all the talent involved and an inspiring story that is more relevant today than is immediately obvious, Lincoln is truly a must-see.
Plot - 1 Points
Visuals - 2 Points
Characters - 2 Points
Drama - 2 Point
Dusty's Score - 9 out of 10
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