It's almost as if he truly believes he IS Abraham Lincoln. Strathairn plays Secretary of State (and Lincoln's closest and most trusted confidante) William Seward with the intense conviction the part calls for.īut every other performance pales in comparison to Daniel Day-Lewis's as the sixteenth President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.
#MOVIE ABOUT TAD LINCOLN MOVIE#
The radical republican Congressman who was leader of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee provides the movie with a bit of levity as well as the one big surprise in the story. Jones imbues Thaddeus Stevens with an implacable moral authority representing the soul of the abolitionist movement. Her part is rather small but she makes the most of it, particularly during a heated argument with her husband. David Strathairn, Tommy Lee Jones and Sally Field are all at the top of their games.įield makes Mary Todd Lincoln a real person and not merely the spendthrift/bi-polar caricature she is usually made out to be. It demonstrates the power of film in bringing history to life in a way no other art form can.Īnd now for the cast. He said it was like “writing history with lightning.” The same can be said of Lincoln. President Woodrow Wilson famously waxed poetic after watching D.W. It's a powerful image and one of those screen moments destined to become indelible in our collective movie-going consciousness. There is one scene near the end where we watch Lincoln's silhouette, wearing his trademark stovepipe hat as he walks away from the camera towards the door of the White House. The sets and costumes are meticulously authentic looking. It transports the viewer back to our nation's capitol in that fateful winter and early spring of 1865. And fortunately Spielberg never allows any cloying sentimentality to overpower the movie like he did with last year's overrated War Horse.
Even though we all know how the story ends there is a real sense of tension and urgency to it. The subject matter isn't all that cinematically exciting but the way it unfolds is compelling. Spielberg's incredible storytelling talents are put to good use. Lincoln is in a race to get it passed before peace is declared, as the ending of the war would leave the Amendment dead on the House floor. Set during the closing months of the American Civil War, Lincoln shows the behind the scenes due process (scrambling for votes by means ranging from sublimely compelling arguments to old-fashioned bribery) needed for ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment which outlawed slavery in the United States.
But then when you have Steven Spielberg directing Daniel Day-Lewis as Abe Lincoln, you're already halfway to the podium come Oscar night. It's about America's most revered President and it deals with one of the most historically pivotal periods in our countries' history. Not only is Lincoln a damn good movie but it has all the qualities that Academy voters have long rewarded in films. And on top of those three awards I predict wins for Supporting Actor/Actress for Tommy Lee Jones and Sally Field respectively. I'm going to make the same prediction this year about Lincoln. Two years ago in my review for The King's Speech I correctly predicted it would win Oscars for Picture, Actor and Screenplay.
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