Before I get to the main star I want to first discuss about some of the supporting cast that definitely stood out and gave unforgettable performances. Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln, the President's wife, is not only highly entertaining but the performance obviously had some strong dedication put into it. There is just something about Field's performance that feels so real and emotionally driven. Some scenes you laugh at her wit, sometimes you laugh with her, sometimes you feel sorry for her, and sometimes you even agree with her opinions. She feels so real that it is almost possible you can come up with emotions that work off of her performance. Joseph Gordon-Levitt continues to prove that he is already a shining star as well as a powerhouse actor in this film as well. He plays Robert Lincoln, the oldest son of the Lincolns, who desperately wants to fight in The Civil War alongside the Union, and of course his parents cannot disagree more. This allows Levitt to successfully show the frustration and complexity of the guy who is torn between staying loyal to his parents and doing what he feels is right which is fighting against the Confederate Army for the emancipation of the slaves. The character makes a worthy obstacle for Lincoln himself to confront while trying to handle family problems while at the same time trying desperately to pass an Amendment that could change the fate of the country for generations to come. Tommy Lee Jones plays the Radical Republican Congressional leader Thaddeus Stevens. Jones is very charismatic and entertaining in this role and is just as deserving for praise as the rest of the wonderful cast. Tommy Lee Jones just makes the character enjoyable and worthwhile to watch, while also adding some dimension to a character that was already well fleshed out from the start. And now we come to the main star Daniel Day-Lewis as the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.. I do not think I can say anything different than from what other people have said about the performance. Lewis just truly escapes into the role. Even though it is unknown to probably most of us how the real Abraham Lincoln behaved or how he spoke, still there was this feeling that I had inside that I was watching the real Abraham Lincoln right in front of our eyes. Daniel Day-Lewis does what any great actor should do, he fully becomes the character. He and the character of Abraham Lincoln fully become one, which allows the audience to not be distracted by the actor portraying the character, therefore we are fully concerned and invested in the character himself. This makes it easier for us the audience to be emotionally invested with and be interested in him. The performance gave me what I would like to call the "wow" moment, in which the film succeeded in convincing me of what I was watching. I was watching the Abraham Lincoln in front of my eyes, and because of Lewis' performance, as well as the great writing, and Spielberg's directing, it was all possible
The overall delivery of the film is just genius and the obvious person to thank is director Steven Spielberg. From the way the scenes are shot right down to the performance of the ensemble cast, the film was able to pull its audience in. I think the first thing that I have to note is Lincoln's relationship with the ensemble cast. His relationships especially with Mary Todd Lincoln, his sons, and even Thaddeus Stevens were all wonderfully fleshed out. It also seemed that some of Daniel-Day Lewis talent seemed to rub off on to them whenever Lincoln and another character were in a scene together. Though most of the cast do a very good job, unlike Lewis you are very aware that these are actors portraying these characters. But whenever Lincoln is in a scene with them, the scene immediately becomes real and so not only is easy to believe you are watching Lincoln but you are also watching Mary Todd, Thaddeus, and others with him as well. I also love the decision that whenever Lincoln would have a monologue the other characters in the scene would just listen and not say a word or interrupt while Lincoln is talking. Heck I do not think they would dare to utter word after Lincoln would have one of his monologues. It may seem a tad to unrealistic as not many people would have probably given Lincoln that much utter most respect and probably that move was done just to praise what a great man Lincoln was. But that's exactly the point Lincoln was a great man and the film proved he in fact pushed himself as well as others to accomplish the great things he set as goals in order to make the free world a more than decent place to live and call home. Those scenes in particular is where all the emotion and atmosphere this film offers resides. Also if you ever watch the film notice that lighting is very strong on Lincoln whenever he is in a scene. It feels almost like you are watching a staged dramatization, and to be honest that is where probably a lot of us came the closest in our lives in seeing a real life Lincoln, whenever there is somebody impersonating him for some type of show. It gives us those memories back and also reminds us that this will be close we will see a real enough Lincoln that was shined on with the exact same spotlight.
Lincoln showed what the man Abraham Lincoln was all about. Though charismatic and respected by many, not everybody was on his side and he still had to fight desperately to get slavery abolished and have Congress pass The 13th Amendment, which was his big goal. Along side we get to see much of Lincoln's personal life including his relationships with family and friends as well as the impact he left on them. They key word there is "impact" and the film sure enough delivered a lot of that.
GRADE: AE
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