Lincoln

Nice Wig, Tommy Lee Jones: Lincoln Review

I mean really, could you be any more obvious? (Courtesy of YouTube)

During the first hour and fifteen minutes of Lincoln, I pondered, “What is the purpose of this movie? To inform? To inspire? To entertain? To bore?” I consciously decided that the last seemed most appropriate. All the elements of a good film were present, though. The costume design, makeup (except for Jones’ wig, see title/image), art direction, and wonderful score from John Williams set the scenes. There was an outstanding performance from Daniel Day-Lewis as the titular character, with strong support from David Strathairn, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. There was even some quality comic relief. During those first 75 minutes, I wondered how such a seemingly incredible movie could leave me so uninterested.

It wasn’t until after that hour and a quarter that the purpose of Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln became clear – to illustrate sheer success. Once the momentum picked up, the movie became uplifting, enjoyable, enlightening, and overall, worthwhile.

This take on the story of Abraham Lincoln begins shortly after his re-election. Years into the Civil War, Lincoln tries to abolish slavery by ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment. The way by which this success is achieved is by means of strategy. Lincoln relies on those members of his Republican Party in Congress to respect his wishes and follow through with passing the notion. His real task lies in convincing at least twenty Democrats to do the same to win the two-thirds vote. It all lies in the timing. He works on persuading Democrats who are at the end of their terms in Congress to vote now that they have no incentive to keep loyalty to their party’s wishes. Ensuring Democrats vote for the Bill conveys its bi-partisan approval. This then shows to the Confederates that slavery is losing its universal approval, ending the war without much further conflict. Genius.

The movie’s unsung hero is Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who plays Robbie Lincoln. As Abraham’s son, he is conflicted by his urges to fight for his country as a soldier, which could mean his parents would lose their second son if he were to be killed. He uses his minimal screen time to reinforce what I already wrote about him for my review for Looper – he is nothing short of a Hollywood star (Looper is now on DVD, give it a watch if you didn’t catch it in theaters). His efforts earn him the title of Lincoln’s scene-stealer in my book.

The bulk of the movie, however, is reliant on Daniel Day-Lewis. I wasn’t watching Daniel acting, I was watching Abraham Lincoln. Day-Lewis is able to perform a rare feat – embodying a character completely. You would never guess the truth, that he is actually a Brit playing an American. His balance of subtle wisdom and power as the leader of a nation alongside his protective and loving instinct of his fatherly side may earn Daniel Day-Lewis his third Oscar, making him the first man to ever win three Best Actor Oscars in history.

It’s hard to give this film a perfect score due to the effort it takes on the viewer’s part to get through the first act. That doesn’t mean that I left the theater disappointed. In fact, quite the opposite. The second half made up for the first with a fine comedic presence, brought about by Tommy Lee Jones as Congressman Thaddeus Stevens, and its ability to convey to the audience the reason why they came to the theater to see this movie. Lincoln takes a while to get into, but in the end, it’s a completely rewarding film experience. Watch out for this movie on Oscar night, it may run away with a few gold trophies.

Rating: 4/5