I really thought all political drama biopics would make me snooze but I've come to realize that depending on the character like what happened when I attended the press screening for Lincoln.
There are many interesting times in the life of the Great Emancipator and yet Spielberg and friends decide to focus on just one point in his life, the days of the passing of America's 13th Amendment which basically abolishes slavery in the United States together with the the end of the bloody American Civil War. Whether that's good or not will really be up to you but from the director's standpoint this is a completely astonishing and dramatic in the life of 'Honest Abe'. Astounding enough to merit a very long movie about the strife and hazards that come along with.
I was half expecting the dialogues to be half boring but for some reason they weren't. I was just unsure whether my brain just focused too hard to comprehend what was going on, or it's just that the production for the film made sure that dialogues were understandable even to the most casual moviegoer or to the period piece virgins in the crowd.
My biggest wow here for this film was Daniel Day Lewis. Throughout the film we're seeing a Lewis that's gentle and kind and burdened with something so heavy. He really did look the part of Lincoln and I'm sure knowing how much of a method actor he is, he took the role very seriously and it's so evident.
For me, the other star of the show here is Tommy Lee Jones. Damn that guy can play grumpy old *fill in the blank* perfectly. In this case he's a grumpy old politician. A politician who wants to sincerely abolish slavery just so that he himself could be happy. Why is that, you'll have to find out when you go and see Lincoln. Aside from his backstory, Tommy Lee Jones also brings in some form of entertainment and humor. Behind that grumpy face are some quips and laughter waiting to happen. He's really just that talented an actor and a good casting choice.
Sally Field's playing Mary Lincoln was also interesting. When I said that this film was a "Political-Drama", I also meant that Sally Field would do the drama part while Daniel Day Lewis would haul in the 'political' part. What sucked here however was Joseph Gordon Levitt. Sorry girls, it's true. Maybe it was bad casting or maybe the role wasn't just fleshed out properly. Either way, he just wasn't really bringing in a lot of depth to his character. To summarize what he did in Lincoln (as Abe's son Robert Lincoln) he came home from studying in boarding school, decided to drop out of school, got into an argument with his president dad regarding his feelings and about joining the army. When the Confederates surrendered, we see him briefly sticking to Ulysses S. Grant. Then that was it.
Here's the thing, the movie is beautiful. But for this one, I'd say that it would cater more to people who are in to History specifically the U.S. history. It's also going to be good for fans of Abraham Lincoln and for those guys and girls that get their kicks from watching historical dramas and period pieces.
The film however won't be as effective for the casual moviegoers, or people who are looking for some action bits sprinkled around the film. In fact, as I recall the only moment where there was some action sequences were in the opening parts after that it was all talk and drama. Also the best way I could describe "Lincoln" is it's "West Wing" only with a more serious tone and with some heavy dialogues.
Overall, Lincoln is still a great movie; a masterpiece crafted by Spielberg, who's still out there to show the world that he's still got it. It's also worthy of all of Oscar noms that came it's way and the makeup and the props and heck even the settings looked so authentic and believable. Props to those.
Special thanks to 20th Century Fox Philippines for the invitation. LINCOLN is now showing.
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