Movie Review - Lincoln

  Lincoln (2012)

Director: Steven Spielberg

Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn

The first thing that struck me about Lincoln is the impressive cast: Day-Lewis, Field, Jones, Spader, Gordon-Levitt. And the list goes on.  The movie is quite obviously Oscar bait:  a legendary director and a host of respected actors making a biopic usually screams Academy Award trophy (see Ray, Capote, Milk, etc.).  Unfortunately, Lincoln isn't as good as any of these movies.  Instead, it's a somewhat mediocre film made remarkable only by a handful of incredible performances

Foremost among those performances is obviously Best Actor Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln.  In modern-day Hollywood, a lot of actors are overrated.  And a lot of actors are underrated.  And then there is Daniel Day-Lewis.  An actor who has unofficially come to be considered our greatest living actor (with apologies to the twin towers of DeNiro and Pacino), and yet still manages to be evaluated appropriately.  Abraham Lincoln is a legendary historical figure, and yet there is a not insignificant chance that the man himself couldn't have lived up to the incredible portrayal of Day-Lewis in this film.  The Irish actor utterly loses himself in the role of Lincoln. And his passion, thoughtfulness, and intelligence are palpable in a performance that is just the right balance of forceful and restrained.  He is every bit as charismatic as the real-life Lincoln must have been.   

As good as Day-Lewis is though, the cast of veteran actors around him are not overshadowed.  Tommy Lee Jones is solid (although perhaps not quite as amazing as advertised), Sally Field is a revelation, and lots of others (David Strathairn, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, and Jackie Earle Haley among them) impress as well in the brief screen time that they have.  Unfortunately, one of the few not so strong performances is turned in by youngster Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  In his defense, the role of Robert Todd Lincoln is far from a meaty one.  The entire story line involving Lincoln's oldest son seems a little tacked-on, and JGL's appearances could all be described as alternately "angsty" or "whiny".  But Gordon-Levitt, for his part, doesn't do much to rise above the material.  

And the material in Lincoln is intrinsically flawed.  One trait that most Oscar-baiting films share is a sense for the dramatic.  They are emotionally overwrought, designed to pull on the heartstrings.  Lincoln has a little of that.  It is genuinely moving in parts.  But, by and large, it is emotionally vacant.  I respect Spielberg for not going the cheesy, tearjerker route.  But there is a balance to be found between cheese and genuine emotion.  And without the emotional heart of other Spielberg historical epics like Saving Private Ryan and Schindler's List, Lincoln just falls a little flat.  

Ultimately, the movie is sufficient, but a little boring.  Spielberg (and the cast, including Day-Lewis), obviously respect Lincoln and his legacy greatly, and they have succeed in creating what appears to be a highly accurate depiction of this period of Lincoln's life.  But I often felt as if I was watching a documentary.  That in itself not a terrible thing, but I think that movies should aspire to something more (particularly where a legend like Spielberg is concerned).  Overall, Lincoln is worth watching for the powerful performance of Day-Lewis alone.  And from a technical standpoint, the entire film is a triumph.  Just don't expect that sort of unforgettable emotional response that only the great films can truly deliver.

Verdict: 6/10