A Masterpiece of Unparalleled Magnificence

Rating: 10/10 (19 November 2012)

Our greatest President did not come from a wealthy home. He did not have an Ivy League education. Nor was he seen as experienced enough to take the office when he was elected amid one of the most politically volatile periods in United States history. But Abraham Lincoln was a leader of unparalleled strength, conviction, and honor, and Steven Spielberg's film brings to the screen the incredible story of how he united a fractured nation and ended the disease of slavery.
"Lincoln" begins at the start of the sixteenth President's second term. Newly re-elected, he has a unique opportunity to work within an also fresh House of Representatives and see an unprecedented Amendment added to the Constitution to abolish slavery in the country. Lincoln's goal is complicated by his personal life; namely his wife Sally's depression over the death of their first son, and the rising tide of Democratic congressman determined to retain law keeping slavery as is.
No matter your politics, your race, or your background "Lincoln" is a film that unifies us. After a particularly dirty Presidential election this year, it was re-affirming to see how different Abraham Lincoln was than the men who have followed him. Lincoln was calm, soft-spoken and rarely raised his voice. He was every bit a political animal as the others who have lead the United States, but he did so through leadership. So sadly rare is that in any political office.
Daniel Day Lewis deserves more than an Oscar for his performance. Lewis deserves to go down in history as one of the finest thespians ever to grace the script. Here he embodies a man that serves as a hero to us all yet remains a mystery, none of us know how Abraham Lincoln spoke, or walked. Yet Lewis is Lincoln. We never doubt for a moment that the man on the screen is anything but our finest President.
As his First Lady, Sally Field is as spontaneous and energetic as ever, though keeps with the documented depression and sadness that overwhelmed their family after the death of a son. She more than holds her own on screen with Lewis. Tommy Lee Jones is Representative Thaddeus Stevens, a short-tempered, quick-witted abolitionist on the side of the President to end slavery. Jones hobbles with a cane but portrays Stevens in thunderously strong performance.
Hal Holbrook, James Spader, David Strathairn, and countless others are the rest of Lincoln's cabinet, other congressmen, and party operatives. Each performance is perfect to a minute detail. But it is detail that separates Steven Spielberg's film from any other historical biography; "Lincoln" is as informative as it is entertaining. An enthralling script keeps the audience avidly interested as the set and person come to life.
"Lincoln" is an American masterpiece. No historical film before it has unified its audience while telling a story vital to the freedom the United States is honored to represent today.