A movie for the ages

Rating: 10/10 (17 January 2013)

Steven Spielberg's Lincoln is not a traditional biopic. It takes the view that a man's life is measured by his deeds. So, rather than trace the 16th President's whole life story, the film gives us a portrait of Abraham Lincoln by focusing mainly on the few weeks in early 1865 when he achieved his signature deeds: ending slavery and preserving the union. In seeing how he led the nation at that pivotal moment, we learn all we need to know about who he was and how he lived.
Daniel Day-Lewis brings Lincoln to life in a way that is both unexpected and likely to forever change our concept of the man. Our image of Lincoln has been so shaped by statues and still photos; it is hard to remember he was a living, breathing person. Day-Lewis' mesmerizing performance shows us a Lincoln who is engaging, charismatic, funny and sometimes fiery. This is the Lincoln who could captivate crowds with his oratory, who could inspire others to follow him.
Lincoln is not a movie where the drama is played out against a backdrop of politics. In this movie, politics is the drama. This is a movie about process. It lays bare the often-ugly route leaders had to take to accomplish change in the 19th century (a route that doesn't seem much different than the ones today). It's a movie that's about principle versus compromise, and the balance that needs to be struck to get things done. In one scene, Lincoln makes a poignant analogy while speaking with abolitionist Representative Thaddeus Stevens (played brilliantly by Tommy Lee Jones – who nearly steels the movie). Lincoln reminds Stevens that a compass can tell you which way is North, but it can't tell you where the swamps are along the way. It would probably do every politician a lot of good to watch that scene.
To tell this story, Spielberg has assembled one of the most impressive casts in movie history. From the wonderful Sally Field, to the aforementioned Mr. Jones; from the always-incredible David Straitharn to the great Hal Holbrook; from the hilarious James Spader to the terrific Michael Stuhlbarg – from top to bottom, nearly every speaking role is filled by one of our finest actors.
This is a movie that is simply saturated in greatness. We have our greatest living director (Spielberg), working from a script by one of America's greatest playwrights (Tony Kushner), based in part on a book by one of our greatest historians (Doris Kearns Goodwin), starring arguably the western world's greatest actor (Day-Lewis) – all to tell the story of our greatest president. When Lincoln died, it was said, "Now he belongs to the ages." Lincoln, the movie, is one for the ages, too.