Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Lincoln

I've been waiting to see this movie since November. I've always considered Abraham Lincoln to be a hero. The dude helped take out slavery AND win a war while doing it.
Not easy.

The movie really shows that.

It's not that action pacted a film. Which is fine. The content was great. The amount of back room dealing, strategic press actions and careful word placement needed to make the 13th Amendment fly (the one that killed off slavery) is incredible.

Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln is amazing. Spielberg knows how to make a character drama with lots of character. Abe definitely had that. From telling little stories in the middle of a crisis to allowing his son to come into the middle of a meeting. He just felt like a guy you want to sit and talk to.

There is a bit of language to watch out for... as a heads up. More on that here.

One thing that really hit me, was the war. We've grown used to the "Gone With The Wind" civil war. Everyone in their clean suit, in clean fields, taking clean shots with their pretty muskets.

That's not what we see here.

In the opening scene people are up to their knees in mud, in hand to hand combat. It's wet, rough and down right horrific.
I've always though the civil war was a horrible time in American history, I don't think words even describe it now.

It may be a little long, but I enjoyed it from start to finish. Well worth the (overly long) wait.

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