MOVIE REVIEW - Lincoln

The highly anticipated, Lincoln is new in theaters this week, and not a moment too soon.  

Right up front, what a great movie this is.  Wow, this is a gigantic challenge and very brave movie making as Hollywood attempts to bring to the screen the iconic Abraham Lincoln, our 16th president. This is an all-star cast that lined up behind Steven Speilberg who made this flick, simply to be a part of it.  This is first class movie making all the way around.

The Civil War is in its waning days, and this movie focuses only on the last 4 months or so of Lincoln's life.  This is based on a heavily researched novel by historian Doris Kearns Goodwin.  It stays focused on Lincoln's struggle to pass the 13th Amendment to our constitution that would forever abolish slavery and grant slaves legal rights in America.   It goes into great depth of the politics of the day, and the political characters that made up the congress of the Union during the Civil War.  For those of you thinking this is a movie that may be a somewhat action filled Civil War movie with war scenes and battles, this is not your movie. This is 2 hours and 30 minutes of pure political drama.

Daniel Day-Lewis is Lincoln and is nothing short of fantastic.   It is unimaginable that he will not win every single acting award that exists for this role.  There few parts you will see any actor do in any movie that is larger than this one.  He brings Lincoln to life in an eerie fashion. He looks like him, he sounds like you might think Lincoln would, and moves like you imagine as well.  He also brings Lincoln to life like you would want him.  He is the man you would hope he would be.

The develop Lincoln as more than just a president, but as a man.  A simple man, yet an incredibly intelligent and complex man. Strong, yet frail.  A huge presence of a man, yet....just a man.  He is simply sensational.  Lewis recites mounds of well written, and difficult dialogue in a fashion so natural, you may forget it actually is not Lincoln. 

He is amazing in scene after scene all Oscar worthy.  But the "Now, Now, Now!"  scene is the clincher.  As good as he is in this entire movie, he seals the Oscar deal with this performance as Lincoln emotionally scolds members of his cabinet who are reluctant to support him in his quest for amendment passage.  Simply terrific.  Uncanny how much you feel you are actually in that room with them.

There is a huge cast along with Lewis, too many to mention but lead by Tommy Lee Jones.   You will see dozens of your favorite actors playing large and small roles here. All very good, all very effective. Casting was very well thought out for this movie and done perfectly.

Costuming and sets are Oscar worthy, as well as the script and screenplay, and possibly Jones as supporting actor.   At this point of the calender year this is the runaway best movie, and best project of the year.   It is also courageous movie making.  The audacity to attempt to bring life to Abraham Lincoln is a brave move.  As a movie maker you don't want to mess this up.  This is well done, and well thought out.  They had a great plan, and stuck to it.   Great decision to focus on a short period of time with Lincoln as opposed to his entire life.

Lincoln.  Oscar worthy, astounding in every single regard.  Give Daniel Day-Lewis the Oscar right now.