Lincoln (2012) Review

The only reason Daniel Day-Lewis is credited for this film is so that they could cover up the fact that they mysteriously brought Lincoln back to life to play himself. There is no other explanation… either that or Day-Lewis is just really damn good. I think anyone is really surprised by the fact that he is amazing in the film, unrecognizable and great. He is known for his dedication to roles and this is no different. I have hard some people argue that he overacts, but I find that ridiculous as he doesn’t even have any “Oscar scenes” in here, at no point did I feel he was fishing for awards, and though he gets agitated and yells at people, it feels natural for the situation.

Ok, just had to get him out of the way, so now I can focus on the rest of Spielberg´s latest. It´s been a while since Spielberg has knocked it out of the park, but this is one of his better films in quite some time.

Portraying the legendary American President during the last three months of his life, as he is trying to abolish slavery, we get a wonderful humanization of a mythical man. While he has been portrayed several times before, he has always remained this big, legendary character, but here he is truly portrayed as a man. We get insight on how he interacts with kids and bipolar wife, and his behind the scenes in politics, where he wasn’t always “honest Abe”. The film shows Lincoln lying and bribing people in order to pass the amendment. He is a quiet, reluctant, but confident man, yet they do show some of his flaws as a human being.

Tony Kushner´s script really gives us a good idea of the man, though I don’t know how accurate it is, he gives a great sense of him. Though I during the film thought some of the subplots he included felt unnecessary and irrelevant to the plot, I eventually realized that the film was more about Lincoln during this time and the immense pressure on him, both politically and socially, rather then the actual passing of the amendment. Yes, the political aspects of the film do seem to be the focus, but in the end it all reflects on the character and becomes more of a character study.

The film is primarily talking, talking and more talking, which could be incredibly boring, however Kushner has written some truly sharp dialogue, with the necessary inclusion of humour at times. There are some scenes that probably could have been shortened though, as this is a very long and slow film.

Visually the film is great, the interior lighting feels natural and fitting for the era. While I do believe they did use artificial lighting, you do get a sense that the primary lighting comes from candles or though the windows. The few exterior shots in the film are also perfectly lit.

Spielberg´s direction is subtle, often leaving the actors to do the work, but I think that’s what makes it great. Spielberg often makes his films a bit overly sentimental and I think he for the most parts managed to avoid the overly sentimental side of himself. That being said there were a few scenes when Lincoln was speaking and all of a sudden John Williams score appeared, which came of as a bit cheesy and I would have preferred if they just let the actors play. I thought the way Spielberg handled Lincoln´s death (spoiler…?) was perfect. Without giving away how it was done, he did in the final moments, transition him from Lincoln the man, to Lincoln the legend, in a subtle, but perfect way. The very final shot was borderline cheesy, but it did serve it´s purpose despite feeling a tad silly.

It is apparent that John Williams has lost his touch lately. While I don’t expect him to make a memorable theme for a movie like this, but rather something subtle, which is what he aimed for, I think he failed. I did at times think his score got in the way of what was happening on screen to the point where it did kind of annoy. This may be due the way Spielberg uses it, however in general his score felt dull and lacking. It felt like he was just rehashing old soundtracks.  

Fuelled by great writing and extraordinary acting, we get one of Spielberg´s most accomplished films in some time. How accurate the film is, is uncertain, but either way it is an interesting and absorbing film if you can handle the slow pace.

4/5