LINCOLN
Director: Steven Spielberg, Writer: Tony Kushner,
Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, David Strathairn, John Hawkes, James Spader, Tim Blake Nelson, Jared Harris, Lee Pace, Jackie Earl Haley, Hal Holbrook.
Outwardly, you can easily make the shloppy comparison of the pro-America genre that seems to have followed on from last year’s ‘War Horse’. But one should be aware that this passion project for Spielberg has been over 10 years in the making. If it wasn’t for such drastic rewrites and more available opportunities this could have been a very different film, with Liam Neeson as the lead. The Lincoln we get is a fresh take on the bio-pic, looking at the final months of the American Civil War and the 16th President of the United States; as he tackles furiously to abolish slavery. Like a certain other Oscar-related film 2 years ago, it's talky (The Racial Network?). Heavy political discourse doesn’t hinder the dramatic ride, with the audience captivatingly driven alongside Lincoln to achieve his end goal. After the 13th amendment is passed, everything happens quite abruptly, probably due to the long running time. Lincoln could have been two films, but the squeeze barely justifies the emotionally clashing climax. Worthy of being one of Spielberg's best in a long time.
85%
Adam Bloom
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