Lincoln 
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones, Sally Field, Joseph Gordon Levitt, David Strathairn, James Spader, Lee Pace
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Rated: PG-13
Run Time: 149 mins
Genre: Drama/ Biography/ History
Opens November 16th
By Lisa Minzey of The Reel Critic.com
Can you feel it in the air? Aside from the crisp cool weather, Oscar watch is officially underway and does this film pack a wallop! Director Steven Spielberg (per usual) artfully and brilliantly assembled a cast worthy of bringing such a notable historic figure to life.
The year was 1865. The Civil War was deep into its fourth year, and Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis) was starting his second term as president. He and his cabinet were earnestly searching for a resolution to bring the war to an end, butLincolnknew that he had to bring the 13th amendment to pass before it would end. If not, every man that died would have died in vain andLincolnwas not about to let that happen. Over the course of 3 months, President Lincoln had to convince his cabinet, his constituents, his family and get Congress to pass the 13th Amendment before he could let the peace talks begin. The film chronicles the high and low points of the historic amendment, ending slavery and beginning the talks of bringing the Civil War to a close.
What is so fascinating to watch in this film is how every actor brought to life the prominent figures they were cast in and how poignant, artful and humanistic each role was. Daniel Day-Lewis’s transformation on screen as Lincoln makes the viewer forget that this was the same man that was the Butcher in Gangs of New York. He is so utterly perfect in this role that it is hard to imagine any other actor cast as Lincoln. The supporting cast was equally brilliant from Tommy Lee Jones as Sen. Thaddeus Stevens, Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln and even James Spader as lobbyist W.N. Bilbo. Each actor was excellent in their respective roles and was more pleasantly surprising to see when entered on screen. Take for instance Lee Pace as Democratic Senator Fernando Wood. Pace has been in a handful of film roles but most notable for his TV role on Pushing Daisies. Another example would be Jared Harris as Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, who has been in several films such as the latest Sherlock Holmes as Moriarty, and more recently in TV as the evil genius David Robert Jones on Fringe.
The cinematography was equally stunning by the use of light. The way that the light paints the scene adds to the mood, making appear as a painting or a picture from a Lincoln when it opens in theaters on Friday November 16, 2012.
