Lincoln works superbly

Rating: 9/10 (17 November 2012)

At this point I suppose it is almost expected that Daniel Day-Lewis will give a great performance in all of his roles, but that doesn't make his performance in Lincoln any less phenomenal or memorable. The theme of the movie is an old and familiar one, but that doesn't mean the message is any less effective or relatable.
The film is not a political thriller, more a political conversation between old men and we observe their conversations during a very important time in American history. It was the right decision to make the movie in this way. Considering that most of politics, even to this day, seems to be a bunch of old men, and now women, sitting around discussing issues. An audience can laugh during certain scenes at the backwards thinking of some people back then, considering how far we have come as a country since 1865, but we still get the sense of just how vital those conversations and debates are, that these characters were having. Since I am not the most political person in the world, some of the language that was used in the film I was not familiar with and some of the information may have been lost on me, but the overall risks these people were taking, and the reasons why they were taking them, were very apparent to me. And whether or not you let every single word sink in, you will be just as caught up in the argument.
Daniel Day-Lewis is surrounded by other great performances, notably from Tommy Lee Jones and Sally Field, among many others. The film feels like it was built for actors. The movie does not rely on editing or fancy camera work to tell it's story, most of the time people are just sitting around a room in a dense layer of cigar smoke rambling and banging on their desks to illustrate their pointsnot much has changed, although we may have nicer desks now. I at times thought Lincoln felt a lot like a play, and maybe even would have been more effective if it was done as a play. But the film works and works superbly.
Probably my only complaint would be that I had thought the film should have ended during a wonderful scene about five or ten minutes before the movie actually endedbut who am I to disagree with the brilliant Steven Spielberg? I do not at all mean this statement in a sarcastic manner, and this should be quite apparent to anyone who watched Lincoln.