Quietly the best movie of 2012

Rating: 10/10 (23 February 2013)

I have read many reviews for this title, and the majority of the negative ones seem to have a common theme: boring. People think that because a movie doesn't have great action sequences, no passionate romance, or high suspense that it is boring and uninteresting. In some cases that is true, but in Lincoln, it is not the case. The reason for that is the script. Tony kushner recreates the more elegant dialogue of the 19th century perfectly while also keeping the audience interested through excellent pacing of the story. No this is not "Argo" where even know you knew the outcome of the story, it kept you right on the edge of your seat. Here, Spielberg is working with an outcome known to all Americans, but still manages to make it interesting to you, to make you root for the republicans in their quest to abolish slavery, to make you cheer for their accomplishments, and to make you groan when an obstacle comes their way.
The next part that makes this movie so great is the performances. Here you have an all star cast of Oscar winners Daniel day Lewis, Sally Field, and tommy lee Jones along with other big names such as Hal Holbrook and James spader. They each perfect their roles to become in my opinion the best performance by an ensemble cast this year in any movie. Jones gives a commanding and moving performance as the fierce abolitionist Stevens, a role which I hope he receives the Oscar for. Spader steals every scene he 's in as the "comic relief" figure who tries to procure the votes for the president. Feild is good as usual as the spirited Mary Todd Lincoln, complementing her more humble husband. And last but certainly not least, is the sublime Daniel day Lewis. In arguably the performance of the decade, Lewis inhabits Lincoln's voice, body and soul, and makes it look like a walk in the park. He has redefined what we think of the great emancipator, and this performance will live long in the soul of American film.
Overall, this was humbly and without the epic nature of a godfather or avatar, the best movie of the year. It is a film about what makes America the country it is, about the foundations of our system, and about the man that symbolized the good in the American people.