Lincoln (12A)

Spielberg's latest masterpiece (really!) is still in cinemas... catch it before it bags a load of Oscars on the 24th!

This review was first published in The Methodist Recorder (www.methodistrecorder.co.uk).

Lincoln (12A)

Steven Spielberg had to ask three times to convince Daniel Day-Lewis to don the iconic stovepipe, believing Lincoln wouldn’t be worth filming without the talents of the worlds best actor.  The film centres on the abolition of the slave trade, and we first meet Lincoln visiting his battle weary troops, finding black soldiers as earnest and loyal as any.  From there we witness his uphill struggle to pass the Thirteenth Amendment, to outlaw slavery once and for all. 

Like all exceptional biographical films, Lincoln doesn’t simply follow the character from cradle to grave, but tells the story of the choices he made under the greatest pressures of his life, thus revealing the man’s heart.  Spielberg has never made a more mature and thoughtful film, with his carefully tempered use of harrowing battle scenes and gory images serving to demonstrate the cost of the Civil War, and the high stakes with which Lincoln was faced.

A film so steeped in politics risks being dry and laborious, and while there are scenes that require a greater than average investment of attention, they always pay off tenfold thanks to Spielberg’s decision not to shoot until Tony Kushner’s script had been fine tuned to perfection.  The wit and sparkle with which history is brought to life is remarkable, and sets a new standard for historical biopics.

Day-Lewis’ performance has been roundly lauded as uncanny, but there’s no chance of distraction from the story despite awe of his performance, because Day-Lewis has uncovered a character so authentically humble that you forget you’re watching a film, and experience something of what the man himself might have been like.  Tommy Lee Jones is also on top form as Thaddeus Stevens, injecting his incisive insults with delicious venom; just one example of the delightful humour Kushner uses to bring periodic levity.

Another film about slavery is on release concurrently with Lincoln, Django Unchained.  While Django represents a fictional and unrighteous attack on slavery, Lincoln is the opposite, telling a true story of a righteous assault on evil.  Important questions are raised as Lincoln ponders that we don’t choose to be born, and are perhaps therefore made for our time with a specific job to do.  It’s food for thought for Christians considering God’s purpose in their lives, and Lincoln’s ultimate triumph is an encouragement to fight injustice even against odds which, from an earthly perspective, seem insurmountable.