A superb political film about Honest Abe's struggle to abolish slavery

Rating: 9/10 (12 April 2013)

Of all the heroes that America holds true to its heart, there is nobody more loved, more respected and more admired than Abraham Lincoln. A man symbolised both by his beard and by his will for justice, Abe has been begging for a film to be made about him since the day he died. And if Lincoln were still alive, he'd certainly tip his famous stovepipe hat to this. 'Lincoln' details the former President's struggles to abolish slavery and create an honest and just society. It features snobby enemies, excellent costumes, a brilliant script, historical and political accuracy (It descends a little into hero-worshipping later on in the film, but makes sure to compensate by showing that Lincoln was by no means perfect) and, best of all, an absolutely superb portrayal of the man himself, portrayed, of course, by Daniel Day-Lewis. Day-Lewis is, quite simply, the perfect Lincoln. He has clearly studied the former President from the way he walks to the posture he adopts whilst riding a horse, and is so convincing that you really feel as if the man himself is there with you, in the theatre- and this prompts me to call Day-Lewis' performance not a portrayal, but a reincarnation. He is so good, in fact, that people knew he would win the Academy Award even before they had seen the film. So why, you ask, does this not get 10/10? Well, despite its exemplary acting, it can become rather boring at times and, as I mentioned before, it dissolves a little into hero- worshipping and, on occasion, gets facts wrong in order to do so. However, as everything else in the film is close to flawless, I give this film an excellent 9/10.