Movie Review: 'Lincoln'

What is with Steven Spielberg's need to hit us over the head with his message? At around 100 minutes into Lincoln's 149 minute runtime, I turned to my mother sitting next to me and said "This is going to win 'Best Picture.'" Imagine my dismay when. by the end of the film, I had to turn back to my mum and retract that statement. 

Make no mistake, the film is grand. At moments, even epic. What it lacks, or rather, what it adds, is an unnecessary ending. An ending which takes it into melodrama, and ultimately lacks the one-two wallop to the gut the 65-year old directing veteran had clearly intended. 

Lincoln is solid entertainment, and extremely well penned, thanks to the sincere and triumphant efforts of Mr. Tony Kushner. It's easy to see how Kushner, a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, was tapped for this project in particular. Demonstrating a level of wordsmanship here that is possibly only matched by the Great Bard himself, it will be a great surprise (to this reviewer anyway) if he isn't rewarded for his efforts on Oscar night. 

The acting is also first-rate, with Daniel Day-Lewis giving a craggy-faced, embodied performance that could likely garner more Oscar gold. The real surprise here, however, is a returned-to-form Sally Field, who gives an extremely well-rounded and beautifully-acted performance as Mary Todd Lincoln. Field spits out Kushner's lines with such sweet venom and tempered veracity, that it's probably one of the most vibrant female portrayals of an historical figure we're likely to see this year, or ever.

Sadly, where the film falls apart is toward its inevitable conclusion. Spielberg has, in recent years, felt this head-scratching need to tack on endings which take the film past its point of expiration. The milk gets spoiled where, instead of ending the film on a high note after the 13th Amendment is passed, the director takes the audience all the way through the assassination and death of the eponymous title character. For a film that carries the 16th President's moniker, this film feels decidedly about the 13th Amendment and such a specific time frame within the President's life, that this ending feels a disservice. We, the audience, know how it all ends. So why not end with the lingering shot of Honest Abe walking down the hallway toward his destiny? It felt like such a missed opportunity to leave an already raptured audience pondering what this man's life meant, that I couldn't help but feel disappointed.

Overall, the film is deserving of acclaim, and it will more than likely be garnered with multiple awards as the season progresses. It just pains me to feel that, only in its best moments, does it deserve it.

Grade: B+