A Perfectly Cast Movie

Rating: 9/10 (8 August 2018)

Perhaps the title is a bit of a misnomer, as the movie is most focused on the passage of the 13th Ammendment rather than the life of our 18th president, but the movie is gripping none the less. It is relentlessly entertaining watching the maneuvering and postering that took place in order to pass the controversial (at the time, of course) amendment, but the real pleasure of the film is watching the myriad of excellent performances. Daniel Day-Lewis obviously carries the torch there, and not much more can be said about perhaps the greatest actor of his generation, but James Spader, as an eccentric whip, and Tommy Lee Jones, as a "radical" Republican who has long fought for emancipation, are smaller standouts. Lincoln is a great films, even if it is telling a story different than one may think.