Lincoln [2012]
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Written by: Tony Kushner; based on Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, John Hawkes, Jackie Earle Haley, Tim Blake Nelson, Joseph Cross, Jared Harris, Lee Pace, Michael Stuhlbarg, Walton Goggins, Lukas Haas, Dane DeHaan
In the second 2012 film to have the 16th president of the US as its protagonist, Abraham Lincoln doesn’t fight vampires but his political adversaries and even members of his own party to achieve racial equality and abolish slavery, a feat which identifies him to this day.
Lincoln, the latest film by Steven Spielberg, takes quite a while to get going, and pace is a minor but constant issue, particularly if we consider the movie’s more than two-and-a-half hours long.
Despite it advancing a bit slower than I would like, Lincoln is not boring, even if the film is quite the didactic experience, like a big-budget History lesson. It’s not bad, though, for movies to teach us something while they entertain once in a while.
The development of Lincoln took more than 12 years. During that time, Liam Neeson left the titular role. But those years were more than enough to recruit some of the finest talent in Hollywood: the striking cinematography by Janusz Kamiński and the score by John Williams, two of Spielberg’s main collaborators, as well as the costumes by Joanna Johnston, makeup and art direction are all worth mentioning and work together to take us back to the difficult Civil War times.
Of course, the performances are the film’s strongest asset and what ultimately sets Lincoln apart from many other biopics. The vast ensemble does a fantastic job but three thespians stand out.
First up is Tommy Lee Jones, who renders another iteration of the “grumpy old guy” character he’s been doing for quite a while. It may not be groundbreaking, but his work is still amazing, and Lee Jones dominates each of his scenes.
Sally Field occasionally descends into melodrama but, despite that temporary absence of control, Field delivers one of the finest female performances of the year. A discussion between her Mary Todd Lincoln and Lee Jones’s Thaddeus Stevens is one of the highlights of the film.
But it’s Daniel Day-Lewis who carries the whole film on his shoulders. We all think we know Lincoln: the beard, the nose, the imposing stature, the thin frame. That’s what the photographs have shown us. But having no audiovisual record of the man (obviously), it’s next to impossible to truly know the way he spoke and carried himself.
Day-Lewis, then, offers his take on the legend and not only tackles the role of Abraham Lincoln with aplomb, he turns into a new point of reference for our own concept of the 16th president.
There are no explosive moments in this performance like there were in Gangs of New York and There Will be Blood. This portrayal, or rather, this transformation, sees Daniel Day-Lewis at his most subtle and understated. The British actor already has two ‘Best Actor’ Oscars on his mantle and he’ll most definitely pick up a third one come February. He’d be the first one to do so.
Spielberg, the director, has made a name and a fortune with corny, manipulative cinema (not all of his movies but at least a big chunk of his filmography), but here he shows amazing restraint. The timing of his latest couldn’t have been better. America’s first black president just started a second term in office. It goes without saying that that wouldn’t even be possible if it wasn’t for Abraham Lincoln.
Despite all the things it does right, Lincoln is not the best film made in 2012. But its historical, social and political significance, more than its artistic merits, make it the one to beat at the Academy Awards next month.
UPDATE: At the time I wrote this review, I truly felt this was the frontrunner to the Best Picture Oscar but, in my eyes at least, the race has changed and Argo looks like the one to beat.
Nice review. I really loved this one and put it as number 3 on my top 10 list for 2012.
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Thanks. Not my type of movie but quite good nonetheless.
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Good review my friend! I did like it a great deal. It’s clearly a movie that may surprise some who expect Spielberg movies to be more flashy. And Day-Lewis was insanely good.
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Thanks, man! Yeah, Spielberg was more restrained after War Horse and I loved that. DDL was awesome as always.
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Fine review, Fernando. You point out the film’s strengths and weaknesses quite well.
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Thanks a lot, Michael 🙂 And for sharing on Twitter.
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Great review, heard so manyt good things about this, I can’t wait to see it.
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Thanks. Hope you check it out soon. It’s quite good.
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So, is it better than Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter?
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I actually didn’t check that one out, lol. But I think it’s safe to say this one is better.
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Not so sure, man. Not so sure. At least that one entertained me. This one…well…let’s just say that it didn’t bring the best in me and let’s leave it at that.
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Lol, OK 😉
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Nice review man, I really enjoyed this. I thought it was pretty heavy at times and some knowledge of the history or the US judicial system would help but DDL and TLJ are brilliant in it.
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Thanks, Chris! And yeah, also felt that knowing more of the history and the people behind the 13th ammendment could’ve helped a bit but I still liked it.
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What… Terry’s name is actually Chris?? I feel bad now I’ve been calling him Terry all the time. He probably has said on his blog that it’s his alias and I’ve missed it [face palm]
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LOL. Yeah, his actual name is Chris. Terry Malloy is an “On the Waterfront” reference. I’m sure he doesn’t mind being called Terry, though.
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Great review, Fernando! You made me want to see this one though my reaction of it has been somewhat lukewarm. That poster is excellent, that can’t be Daniel Day-Lewis on that one can it? I mean the resemblance is uncanny in that poster. In some of the stills from the film, I still recognize DDL under all that make-up 🙂
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Thanks, Ruth. It may prove a bit boring for some but it’s definitely a decent film and the acting is superb. And about the poster, no, I don’t think that is him. Maybe they did it before they released any pics of DDL as Lincoln?
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I’m hearing lots of good things about Lincoln. It is a part of American history that interests me so I’m looking forward to seeing how Spielberg handles it. By the sounds of things, he’s on top form!
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Thanks for dropping by, Dan! Yeah, he’s very good behind the camera in Lincoln. Very controlled, lets the story flow.
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A very fine review sir. Yet more praise for DDL. I can’t wait to see this, if only for him alone.
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Thanks, Mark. How could I not praise the uber-talented Mr. Day-Lewis? He’s out of this world. The acting is the reason to catch this movie. Everything else is good but standard and un-exciting.
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This is method acting at its finest. I hope either this or Argo wins Best Picture; incidentally, they seem to be the best shots.
Have you seen Zero Dark Thirty yet?
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Yeah, it’s between those two. And no, haven’t seen ZDT yet! But I hope to do it soon. I think it’s opening on early February.
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Nice review. Just reviewed it myself http://claratsi.wordpress.com/2013/01/29/review-lincoln/ . right to point out that DDL isnt as explosive as before, but this was very different character. There will be blood is still his best for me.
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Thanks, man. I’ll check out your review soon. I agree, TWBB is my favorite DDL performance. Possibly my favorite performance ever, actually. And also, thanks a lot for following!
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