Lincoln opens with
a Saving Private Ryan-esque scene of
battlefield brutality. Men are impaled by bayonets and strangled in the muck
and rainwater. From there, we cut to Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln seated
as if he were the D.C. monument come to life. He’s addressed by two black
soldiers, one of whom (Colman Domingo) looks up at him with awe. The other
(David Oyelowo) is bluntly asking the President about equal pay for black and
white troops. Two white soldiers (Lukas Haas and Dane DeHaan) arrive and, with
great reverence, begin to recite the Gettysburg Address. The scene feels lifted right out of a Frank
Capra movie and it’s wise of Spielberg to get the mythologizing out of the way
first.
President Lincoln is pressured to end the Civil War rather
than focusing on the Emancipation Proclamation. Even his closest aides feel the
issue will be dead upon arrival at the House of Representatives. Not everyone
will be swayed by a heartfelt speech so a great deal of wrangling and backdoor
deals is necessary. A trio of lobbyists (James Spader, John Hawkes, and Tim
Blake Nelson) is dispatched to curry favor with opposition in the Democratic
Party. This includes promises of jobs in the new administration or outright
bribery. The House itself is a hotbed for filibustering and childish insults.
Have politics really changed that much in the last two centuries? Kushner
brings these sequences to life with a steady stream of Sorkin-like dialogue and
a surprising amount of humor. Irony isn’t lost in the portrayal of Republicans
as the more progressive and compassionate party. The vote for the Proclamation
is the centerpiece of Lincoln and a
textbook example of classic filmmaking. The outcome is already known, yet there
is still palpable tension as each Representative is called upon to vote “Yay”
or “Nay.” It’s also interesting to see everyday citizens traveling from far and
wide to the White House to seek audience with the President.
Less effective is the delving into Lincoln’s personal life,
particularly his rocky marriage to Mary Todd Lincoln (Sally Field). She has
been left in a shaky mental state following the death of her son, Willie, at
age 12. The scenes shared by Day-Lewis and Field are strong, but showy which means
they’ll play well for the Academy voters. There’s also their eldest son, Robert
(Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who feels a burning obligation to serve in the Union
army, despite his father’s best attempts to keep him out of the war. While the
presence of Gordon-Levitt is always appreciated, his part could have easily
been cut from the film with little impact.
It speaks volumes for the A-list ensemble cast that Joseph
Gordon-Levitt is one of its lesser components. The most noteworthy are Jared
Harris as Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, Jackie Earle Haley as Confederate
Vice-President Alexander Stephens, David Strathairn as Secretary of State
William Seward, Gulliver McGrath from Dark Shadows as Tad Lincoln, and Lee Pace as Fernando Wood, the leader of the
Democratic opposition. There’s also Hal Holbrook, Michael Stuhlbarg, Walt
Goggins, Gloria Reuben, Bruce McGill, S. Epatha Merkerson, and Gregory Itzin.
In this sea of talented performers, Tommy Lee Jones has gained the most notice
for his performance as the fervent abolitionist Thaddeus Stevens. His views on
racial and gender equality brought him no shortage of enemies in the Democratic
Party. A Best Supporting Actor nomination is almost a lock for Jones though
James Spader shouldn’t be forgotten as the oiliest of the lobbyists.
Lincoln hinges
entirely on the performance of Daniel Day-Lewis who has effortlessly
transformed himself yet again. You wonder if his method acting required him to
actually travel back in time to shadow the real Lincoln. Physically, he is
everything we imagine Abraham Lincoln to be: tall and lanky with the weathered
face of a president hard at work. His soft-spoken manner belies the booming
voice that many have portrayed him to possess.
His folksy sense of humor leads him to tell several homespun stories to
amuse his staff during dire times.
Each shot is beautifully realized by Spielberg’s superb
direction and the gorgeous cinematography of Janusz Kaminski whose work
includes night scenes illuminated only by candle and the congressional floor
backlit by hazy sunlight. The film is set to a score by John Williams that
never drowns out the drama.
Lincoln is the
film that Amistad should have been.
It is Spielberg's best work since Munich
and lacks the saccharine sentimentality that plagued War Horse.
Rating: *** ½ (*****)
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