I'm not sure there are enough Thanksgiving day praises to heap on Steven Spielberg's LINCOLN. With the Civil War nearing an end, Abraham Lincoln seizes the moment to pass the 13th Amendment banning slavery, before the southern states can rejoin the union and block him. The film is a terrific history lesson and made me want to grab Doris Kearns Goodwin's book on which its based to learn more (downloaded this morning on my iPad!). The film features one of the best casts of 2012, with Tommy Lee Jones leading the way as Thaddeus Stevens, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, David Strathairn & Jospeh Gordon-Levitt all providing great performances as historical figures. The center of the film is Daniel Day- Lewis as Abraham Lincoln and I wouldn't be exaggerating to say it's the best performance by an actor I've seen in a decade. Tamara and I just kept turning to each other in the movie and shaking our heads at how good he is. It's amazing. Day-Lewis conveys the humor, the power and the passion of Lincoln with such weight, you can't take your eyes of him. He will win best actor this year. When you realize that the film is 150 minutes long and is basically 99% dialogue, Spielberg's genius is apparent, as the film never drags.Long time Spielberg collaborators John WIlliams (music) and Janusz Kaminski (photography) are terrific.
This is one of the best films of 2012. Day-Lewis is a genius. Prepare to be inspired. A+
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