FILM REVIEW: LINCOLN

LINCOLN (12)
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, James Spader, Tommy Lee Jones
Director: Steven Spielberg
Running time: 150minutes
Released by: Twentieth Century Fox
Out:25th January 

It makes an immediate sense that if you're going to make a film about one of the most iconic American politicians ever to walk the star-spangled earth, you're going to get one of the most iconic American directors to ever look through the camera and yell 'action'.  And so it came to pass that Lincoln - the story of the sixteenth president of the United States and possessor of the most famous pre-Bruce Forsyth chin in history - was lensed by Steven Spielberg, doing for the history of the Oval Office what Jaws did for sharks, ET did for aliens and The Terminal did for airports lounges.

Ignoring Lincoln's early days (apparently as a Vampire Hunter), the film is focused very much on the challenges he faced in, what turned out to be, the twilight years of his presidency and life - in particular his efforts to end the Civil War, make sure the Emancipation Proclamation passed and the freeing of all slaves within much of the US. The film traces a weathered man, played with innate gravitas by Daniel Day Lewis, still with huge charisma and sense of purpose, but all too aware of the obstacles which he faces and the importance of legacy. Though we abhor slavery in the modern, civilised world, the film holds up a mirror to how little politics itself has changed - showing it to be a battle of wit, tactics and all too often egos. With his eyes fixed firmly on a moral legacy, Lincoln himself isn't above political sleight of hand, obfuscating the truth and making promises that he can't always keep.

Spielberg has enough karma in the cinematic bank to make sixteen sequels to Showgirls if he so wished and STILL have his resume come out smelling of celluloid roses... and for someone who has already pointed his light-meter at the likes of Amistad, Band of Brothers, Saving Private Ryan, The Pacific and several other celebrations of the country's trials and tribulations on the way to "exceptionalism', there's little doubt that the film in firmly in his wheelhouse.

Day-Lewis is fond of larger-then-life characters, personas and challenges he can get his teeth into, but while not every film has been a box-office blockbsuter, he undeniably brings a sense of purpose to almost everything he does. He picks the roles carefully and could never be called prolific, but he often is the best thing in anything he chooses. Lincoln really gives him an opportunity to inhabit a giant of a man and he does so completely. Equally his supporting cast - and as always Spielberg pays as much attention to picking the right actors for those parts as his leading man - is excellent. Sally Field as his wife Mary is as wise as she is long-suffering, David Strathairn as Willam Seward is shrewd and dry-humoured and James Spader is clearly having an excellent time throughout. The list also includes Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Hal Holbrook, John Hawkes (also excellent in last week's The Sessions), Bruce McGill, Jackie Earle Haley and Tim Blake Nelson. Yes, it's that calibre of movie actor-magnet..

The UK print of the film comes with a scene-setting script/montage before the film itself begins and this is perhaps a wise move. Though Americans may also find that there's facts and story-points they weren't aware of, international audiences will find they know less than they thought, little beyond the famous profile, his attitude to slavery and the famous monument in the heart of Washington. DC. Though much is shot through a bleached lens which picks out every sodden boot and hat, every spec of dust and dirt, this is a film that tries to show an element of colour and fill in some of the blanks and motivations.

Though he wrong-foots us for a second, it's not too great a spoiler to reveal Spielberg chooses not to take the cinema audience into Lincoln's fateful trip to the theatre and instead the last we see of a fully-alive President is his silhouette as he leaves the White House that night. It would have been a nice image to leave the audience with, but the director does take us to the actual death-bed, which seems a rare and slight misstep.

The film is not short, nor necessarily well-paced. At two and a half hours, Lincoln is in no hurry to get us to the theatre (or out of it) and this requires a hefty investment for the modern attention-deficit'd  audience. There's little doubt that Spielberg strives his hardest to make sure he's not wasting any time and opinions will vary on how well he achieves that goal, though there's no doubt about the effort. It meanders through the historical world created in detail, but as the genre of biopics go, this is at least imbued with a reverence and respect but not utterly blinded by the same.

Know what you're going into and Lincoln checks off a lot of the needed attributes:  scope, solid performances and excellent cinematography. Despite all that, there is something of a sense it's trying just a little too hard to be worthy and impress.  It won't be to everyone's taste and will almost definitely take a majority of its box-office stateside where there's an innate interest inbuilt into the country's psyche, but this is still a director and ensemble cast bringing their all.

In truth, I found it too long to completely hold my interest throughout and despite the individual ingredients, the result is a little dry. American auteurs love examining the country's roots and in this case Spielberg has brought his microscope to an undeniably important chapter. With Hollywood often rewriting history, this at least FEELS like its planted its feet in the right place and with the best of intentions.

8/10