In Theaters: Lincoln ****

Lincoln is a movie a long time in the making.

For over a decade, Steven Spielberg had been talking about making an Abraham Lincoln biopic based on the Doris Kearns Goodwin's seminal Lincoln biography, Team of Rivals.  For one reason or another, the project never got moving until last year.

Now, when you're making a movie about a renowned historical figure, casting the lead is the first and probably the most important decision.  And, last year, when it was announced that Daniel Day-Lewis would take on the role in this incarnation of our 16th President, it was clear that Spielberg had hit that first ball out of the park.

But, once that first decision is made, there are, as with all movies, countless other decisions that can impact the success or failure of the enterprise.  With Spielberg at the helm, this particular movie was fraught with peril.


Mr. Spielberg, though undoubtedly one of the all-time greats, has a mixed record when it comes to historical movies and period pieces.  And, in the lead up to Lincoln, many questioned what kind of movie it would be.

Would it be like Schindler's List or more like Amistad?  Would be like Saving Private Ryan or War Horse?

In a refreshing turn of events, it wasn't like any of them.  The movie, though emotional and moving, is free of the typical Spielbergian sentimentality.  It relies less on plot and action and more on acting and dialogue.  Indeed, it is easily the talkiest movie of Spielberg's entire career, and that's a good thing.

A very good thing.

It's good for a number of reasons.  First and foremost: They cast the hell out of this movie.

Yes, it's got Daniel Day-Lewis.  And, yes, he's incredible in it (more on that in a minute).  You've also heard a lot about Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln and Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens.  All three of them could end up winning Oscars for their performances in Lincoln.

SIDE NOTE:  In Spielberg's long and illustrious career, no one has one an acting Oscar for a their performance in one of his movies.  With Lincoln, there could easily be three, a testament to the different approach the director took with this film.

But, it goes beyond those three.  Every role is cast to near perfection.

The cast list reads like a who's who of great character actors.  David Strathairn, Hal Holbrook, and Jackie Earl Haley all have great moments.  But, James Spader, Tim Blake Nelson, and John Hawkes playing a trio of operatives brought to Washington to twist some political arms almost steal the show.  One of the movie's very few flaws is that it didn't have enough of those three in it.

The other reason it's good that the movie takes the more talkative route is that its focus is on political struggle and intrigue, which doesn't really lend itself to action of plot contrivances.  Specifically, it tells the story of the passage of the 13th Amendment (banning slavery) through the House of Representatives.

As I watched the movie unfold, I half expected it to turn into a preach-fest showing what happens when people set aside differences and work together for the common good.  Indeed, given our current political climate and Spielberg's known devotion to Obama-ism, that wouldn't have been a surprise.

But, that's not what it is.  In fact, it's quite the opposite.  In this story, political results are achieved, not through idealism and kumbayas, but through sheer will.

Arms are twisted, lies are told, crosses are doubled along the way to passing the amendment.  It's not a fable to convince politicians of our time what they should be doing.  Instead, it's a demonstration that partisanship and political double-talk can lead to the best of results if there is enough political will driving behind it all.  If today's politicians should take anything from this movie, it's that both parties currently lack the necessary unifying leadership to impose that kind of will.

Of course, anyone who knows me knows that I'm a cynical partisan, so what the hell do I know?

Now to Day-Lewis's performance.  I won't try to describe it here, I have neither the words nor the time.  It is everything you've heard...one for the ages.  That said, of the performances I've seen in movies this year, it's a close second to Joaquin Phoenix in The Master, in my humble opinion.  Even so, I wouldn't bet against Day-Lewis picking up his third Oscar for this film.

All in all, I have a handful of nits I could pick with this movie.  But, they'd seem small compared to the overall greatness of the film. I know I'm not the first to say this -- especially since I'm writing the review about a month after everyone already saw the movie -- but Lincoln is a tremendous piece of work.  While, in my view, it fails to achieve the transcendence that some have ascribed to it, it is certainly one of the best movies of 2012 (I'm saying that a lot lately, aren't I?).