Lincoln is another Spielberg classic for the ages

Rating: 10/10 (13 December 2012)

"Including Powerful performances from Day-Lewis, Field and Jones, Lincoln is a Spielberg classic of high drama that never fails to impress with such long scenes of political conversation of the time"
Steven Spielberg has been one of our greatest directors over the years but lately people have started to be harsh on his directing style and overly emotional instincts, but with Lincoln he has received the critical praise he has not received in such a long time. The film tells a time in Abraham Lincoln's (Daniel Day-Lewis) life when he wanted to pass the 13th Amendment to end slavery before the civil war was to end. At the same time we see the democrats at the time trying to fight back against him and his goals. In his personal life we see his wife Mary Todd Lincoln (Sally Field) in her deep depression after losing her son also going up against her husband who keeps threatening to throw her in the madhouse which comes out in one of their main fights.
The film does very well at presenting Lincoln not as the statue that we all can see in Washington but as a real man who questions his actions leading to advice being given to him by people who confides in. The realness of the approach to the characters worked so well that even when I was not understanding some of the dialogue because how heavy it felt I was able to understand it by the emotions presented by the actors. All the craft in the film feels perfect down to the smallest detail in the costumes worn by the women of the time. The film does feel dark especially when most of the film is held inside in dark rooms with just one burst of light coming through a window. I believe that these dark rooms were a symbol for the depression that Lincoln went through at the time with the light being the force pushing him forward to achieving this amendment.
Daniel Day-Lewis I have always thought was our greatest actor ever for his big loud performances (e.g. There Will Be Blood) but with his performance as Lincoln he has showed he has the range to give a subtle performance and it surely is a stunning performance to his filmography that cannot be forgotten. The character of Lincoln does get to boil over in some scenes with his wife and also in the cabinet. Day-Lewis gets to be funny as this character which is something that I haven't seen him do in so long which was also a highlight. Sally Field plays his wife Mary Todd and she may be in the film less then Mr. Lewis but she makes the best of her time as a depression ridden women who has to deal with life in the public as the president's wife. She gets to break down in some scenes which of course is greatly acted by her but also she provides some comedy especially when she shares a scene with Thaddeus Stevens. Speaking of Thaddeus Stevens, Tommy Lee Jones was a surprise in the film playing this man I've never heard of but playing him so well I just felt for this man because of the performance given by Jones. The cast brought in for this film is too much people to talk about but some other highlights include David Strathairn, James Spader, Gloria Reuben, Lee Pace and many more people.
The film is just about perfect with perfect performances from it's main leads. Written by Tony Kushner the film has some scenes that feel like they are set on stage but either way his written dialogue is special as the politics of the time try to make a statement about modern times. The craft is perfect and Spielberg has done a great job with the film but he is not the main thing about the film because he takes his style out allowing the words and actors to take over which makes me give him such more respect.
MOVIE GRADE: A+ (MVP: Daniel Day-Lewis)