Daniel's best, any 'Day'.

Rating: 9/10 (1 January 2013)

"Lincoln" is not a movie for those who don't have an ear for grandiloquence. It is not a movie for those who expect it to be an action-packed Biography. It is not a movie for those who aren't fond of parables. Then what is it? It's a melange of method-acting at its best, ultra-natural ambiance of a war-torn nation and a brilliant script that throws light on the personal and tactical life of the most revered and pragmatic President in the history of the United States.
It's the fourth year of civil war. The Union clearly has an edge over the Confederates. Lincoln has been re-elected as the President. He wants the thirteen amendment, which proclaims emancipation, be passed by the House. Every single white man in the country opposes the amendment for it might nullify the bigotry for the colored folk, but still support the amendment for their respect in Lincoln. Lincoln wants the amendment to be passed before the war gets over and against the advice of his very loyal subordinates; he sets a deadline for the amendment to be passed.
The movie then takes you through the devious tactics of Lincoln; how he painstakingly ensures that he doesn't have any 'traitors' on his side ;how he, as a bereaved father, opposes his elder son's wish to enlist; how he ensured the amendment received bipartisan support . A man with a gift of gab, Stevens serves as Lincoln's right-hand man in the house and has worked for the abolition of slavery throughout his life, for personal reasons as well. Lincoln's men ensure they gather the support required for the amendment to be passed and succeed. Later on, Lincoln is assassinated, though the assassination is not shown in the movie.
Daniel Day-Lewis, barring his uncanny resemblance to Lincoln, has given life to the most respected in American history and it's a performance that is worthy of nothing less than an Academy award. Tommy Lee Jones and all the other Lincoln's men played their respective parts brilliantly, and Sally Field was a tad melodramatic. It may not be Spielberg's best, but it is one movie that has several powerful performances by one of the Hollywood's finest.