Splendiferous - hello, awards season.

Rating: 9/10 (1 January 2013)

Can anyone truly be surprised that Lincoln, starring the gifted Daniel Day-Lewis and directed by Steven Spielberg, is an out-of-the-park, instant classic? The movie was destined for success as soon as those two signed on, and do they ever deliver. Lincoln is a powerful, provocative, timely piece of art that is so well crafted that it diverts focus, as needed, from the president to the issues at hand - the potential end to the Civil War and the potential ratification of the 13th Amendment.
The movie covers the time period of December 1864 until Lincoln's death in April 1865, with attention paid in equal amounts to the aforementioned national issues and the character of the 16th president himself, a tactful, down-home man who suppresses his emotions at the expense of his health. His is the most exasperating of dilemmas: should he agree to a peaceful accord with the confederates - and thus risk losing the fight against slavery for all time - or allow the bloodiest war to continue - and thus hope that the surrender would compel the defecting states to observe an amendment to abolish slavery? Ah, but of course there's even more to consider - would said amendment even pass? As more and more young men die each day, the decision becomes burdensome, almost Sisyphusian task.
In 1865, it was the Republican Party that was anti-slavery, made up mostly of Northerners, with Democrats coming from the South. In order for the amendment to pass, all of Lincoln's Republicans would need to vote for it - plus a good number of Democrats. As today, lobbyists were deployed, by the Secretary of State (David Strathairn), to convince undecided politicians to vote for the amendment if and when it was presented for a vote. Meanwhile, the confederates are requested by a Lincoln emissary to travel from Richmond to Washington to talk - but will they arrive in time? And is this what the president truly wants?
One thing is for certain: the machinations within political circles has not changed all that much. Secretary Seward attempts to woo some lame- duck senators with promises of jobs in Lincoln's new administration, but there are only so many jobs to go around. As these negotiations and overtures go on, the War Secretary (Bruce McGill) orders a massive attack on the rebels. Lincoln's own son Robert (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is frustrated by his father's refusal to allow him to enlist, and First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln (Sally Field) has tremendous mood swings and could well be mentally unstable.
Standing tall above the fray is the inscrutable, yet vulnerable Lincoln himself. He sees his end and believes he can find the means to achieve it, but at what cost? See if this sounds familiar. One argument brought up by a senator against the abolition of slavery is that it would lead to Negros getting the right to vote, to be on the same ground as white folks. Topical, isn't it, with current talk about immigrants and their standing in our country. Lincoln himself puzzles over the ramifications, but he is convinced that he must first get the amendment passed and then worry about the consequences. Why? Here's a sneak-peak story. Lincoln wonders if we are born equal, if we are born for certain times or if we must fit into the times into which we are born. He even uses a Euclidean notion to prove a point, along with countless other stories with some sort of impetus behind them. This Abraham Lincoln is lawyer, teacher, thinker, philosopher, and father.
Day-Lewis, as is his wont, disappears into the role. Imagine an Irishman playing an iconic American - preposterous! And yet there he is, plain as day, looking and sounding like he jumped out of the Oval Office in the 19th century. To say that his performance is terrific would be an astounding understatement. He breathes Lincoln, gradually allowing us to see various layers of the character.
But we have come to expect that from Daniel Day-Lewis, haven't we? What about Sally Field, though? Let's think about this. Sally Field is 66, 20 years older than Mary Todd was in 1865; she's only 10 years older than Day-Lewis. Can we accept her as his wife and not his mother? A resounding yes. Field hits her role hard, with raw emotion and guts, toning down the First Lady's infamous histrionics. For the past couple of decades she's done a lot of television and few big-screen roles. This may change things, oh it just might. Sally Field has just proved that an actress of certain talent can play younger. She's not just a plausible Mary Todd, she's Mary Todd incarnate.
Their supporting cast is filled with familiar faces, with not a slouch to be found. Hal Holbrook. James Spader. Strathairn. McGill. John Hawkes. Jackie Earle Haley. Gordon-Levitt. And a dour, bewigged Tommy Lee Jones. Spielberg doesn't mess around when it comes to casting epic masterpieces, does he?
Lincoln is a hit, from beginning to tragic end, thanks to...well, everyone. It's the kind of film that makes you forget you're in a dark room with strange people. It's the kind of film that makes you think you're standing in the balcony of the Capitol, watching the proceedings. It's deliciously detailed and does not shy away from the grisly results of the wars between men.