So this is my first blog post and I am happy that I finally got off my ass to do some writing. Its something I have wanted to do for a long time and am looking forward to see if I can write anything decent. That being said I am here to a review a movie that people don't even care about anymore, because it came out months ago. That film is Steven Spielberg's Lincoln.
Lincoln is the story of um well Abraham Lincoln. Bet you didn't see that one coming. Anyways its main focus is on Americas 16th president trying to pass the 13th amendment. Which will abolish slavery and hopefully bring the downfall of the civil war. It takes place over a month or two showing Lincoln's
political fight as well as some personal struggles he has to face.
I, like a lot of people were both exited and very curious about this movie. One of the greatest directors of all time is making a film about one of the most important people of all time. Going in, I was thinking to my self "Dude this going to be AWESOME". And in a sense it was quite awesome but very different from what I was expecting. For anybody that thinks this is going to be a civil war film in the vain of Saving Private Ryan, then there is a good chance you might be disappointed. What we get instead is a very slow but expertly written film that relies much more on the acting then the action.
The movie is directed by the man who made my childhood, Mr. Steven Spielberg. He had such a huge affect on my interests as a kid and is now such an inspiration in my teenage years. So yea, its a cliche to say, but Spielberg is one of my favorite directors. However I will admit that his past few films haven't totally impressed me. Now don't think I didn't like them, in fact I thought many were fantastic when I first saw them. The thing is they are not particularly memorable. Also most of his latest films have all felt much to safe and all kinda blur together. So I was very exited (despite the crappy trailer) to see if this could be a more memorable movie. And while I don't know if its that memorable, its certainly his best film in a couple of years.
He holds the film together so tightly and never lets it stray from its tone and atmosphere. I believe Spielberg said he was done making big blockbusters and you can definitely see that come through here. The is very little to no action in this entire film. Besides the cinematography, many nice sets, and good costumes, the weight of the film is all on the shoulders of the writer and the actors. And luckily enough both are incredibly well done.
The script is written by Tony Kushner who also wrote Munich in 2005. Now honestly I really have to give this guy props. For the style the movie is done in, it really should of bored me more then it did. Its all accurate to how people spoke in the 1800s and also some scenes go on FOREVER. So this could of easily turned into a snooze fest for me. Luckily I was in it the whole time and really loved how they put it together. The dialogue is old fashioned, but its interesting enough and I mean yea, this is some important shit their talking about. I admit I had to slap myself a few times when I started to disconnect, But mostly I was in it the whole time which surprised me a lot.
However, the main draw to this movie besides Spielberg of course, is the cast. And let me tell you, they really make this movie something special. Of course everyone is talking about Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln. Going in, I knew he would be good, but my word is he incredible. He truly is one of the finest actors working today and definitely deserves the oscar. After about 5 minutes I was totally convinced I was watching my favorite president up on the big screen. He plays it so subtle and quite different then you might expect. But trust when I say he is incredible and he is memorable
The rest of the cast are also very good. There are way to many talented people to mention. I especially want to point out Tommy Lee Jones. I believe this is easily his best performance in years. He is not in it a whole lot, but his presence is definitely felt. Sally Field is also good as Mrs. Lincoln and she brings the emotion on very well. I admit I would of liked a little more development with her character. But overall I think she did good and Sally Field is always awesome.
Unfortunately I did have a few minor problems with the film. The biggest thing to me was that the editing seemed really choppy. Not so much in the scenes, but the transitions between scenes just didn't feel right. Also I get that the movie is supposed to be slow, but sometimes the pacing seemed kinda off. Now I love movies that are all dialogue. One of my favorite movies of all time is 12 Angry Men from 1957. So its not how the story is told, its just the pacing seemed very odd sometimes.
Overall though, I thought Lincoln was a highly enjoyable film. Was it Spielberg's best, No of course not. However I do think its his best in a good number of years. I don't really know how historically accurate the film is. But I thought its story was well told and thats all that matters to me. Any movie that makes history enjoyable is doing something right. And I think this one definitely did. So if you didn't see it, I would recommend checking it out. Overall I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to see what Spielberg is up to next.
Final Verdict- 8.7/10
