Abraham Lincoln is a daunting figure. History has been kind to him, yet during his presidency he straddled the line between righteous and dictatorial. But if any actor could straddle that line just as he did, it would be Daniel Day-Lewis. The enigmatic method actor is proudly put on display by esteemed director Steven Spielberg in this fall’s hotly-anticipated film Lincoln.
A heavy narrative such as this is easily bogged-down as the movie goes on, yet Spielberg’s eye for color and a deftly-written script from Angels in America author Tony Kushner keep the audience engaged. Yet the greatest aspect of this film lies purely in the performances from its leads.
Day-Lewis is fantastic, even by his standards. His Lincoln is simultaneously lofty and down-to-earth. The stories he tells to his colleagues are presented in a soft drawl that Day-Lewis has mastered. Such leadership enthralls Lincoln’s contemporaries to a level only achievable by an actor of this caliber.
The supporting performances are also highly impressive. Rapidly-rising Joseph Gordon-Levitt adds to a list of recent solid performances as Lincoln’s son Robert Todd, while Sally Field holds her own as the tortured, controversial figure that was Lincoln’s wife, Mary Todd. David Strathairn shows the old pro that he is with a calculated, dignified performance as Secretary of State William Seward.
Perhaps the strongest supporting performance comes from Tommy Lee Jones. Jones’ acting as “radical Republican” congressman Thaddeus Stevens booms and fills the screen, simultaneously seeming intimidating and highly entertaining. At the same time, Jones’ Stevens holds a great deal of depth which shows in his staunch refusal to stop fighting for the cause that he has held so near and dear, the passage of the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution. The abolition of slavery proves to be the unifying mission over the course of the movie, and brings a wide variety of men together, as illustrated in historian Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book Team of Rivals, upon which the movie is partially-based.
Although the film speeds towards Lincoln’s eventual demise in a way that some may argue is heavy-handed, the sheer brilliance of the president’s mind and the consistently-solid performances from a cast for the ages prove to define what is ultimately an excellent film. Just as Lincoln wove a masterful yarn, so too has Spielberg created a masterpiece, and in both cases the American people are better off for it.
