Film review: Daniel Day-Lewis makes 'Lincoln' work

Film: Lincoln
Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis , Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Director: Steven Spielberg
Rating: ***

The events of Lincoln take place in 1845, during the bloody Civil War. Two years after Republican president Abraham Lincoln proclaimed, in his capacity as commander-in-chief of the army, that the black folk enslaved by the Southern states, were to be seen as free men by the Union army.

The film shows us how the president went beyond this war-time measure on to achieve the complete abolition of slavery by getting the historic Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution passed by Congress.

Adapted from Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, the film is ostensibly about a man’s struggle to pass legislation. On a deeper level, it’s about a dream to usher in an age of equality. Unfortunately, the turmoil, political conundrums and intrigues and Lincoln’s wiles never present a deeper sense of captivation.

The most eye-opening revelation to those who held the ethics of ‘Honest Abe’ in high regard is that the great man was not above relying on dubious elements to procure the requisite votes.

Helmed by someone considered to be among the foremost is his field, Lincoln is not a very ‘cinematic’ film. In some ways, this is refreshing. (Spoiler alert) For instance, we don’t the armies of the North and South facing off in cannon-smoke-filled fields. Lincoln’s assassination is an off screen event.

Biopics are a genre where lead roles see a lot of showboating and shouty performances. Day-Lewis, in his maturity as an artist, also doesn’t use the (literally) towering historical personality as a reason to chew up the scenery. His portrayal is of an accessible man whose countless anecdotes and accessible nature hint at a humble beginning. Often getting shouted down by the bull-headed rivals in the Democratic Party and his flabbergasted and fragmented allies, there is quietness that Day-Lewis exudes, which is remarkable.

Lee Jones, playing firebrand Radical Republican Thaddeus Stevens provides another good a reason (besides Day-Lewis) to want to revisit the film. With his razor wit and tendency to fume up at the sight of bunglers, he is hilarious. Field plays tortured wife in the same key as the rest of the performances.

Gordon-Levitt’s role – that of Robert Todd Lincoln — is, mercifully, a bit one. Most of the time on screen, he expresses his desire to enlist in the army, causing friction between his father and disapproving mother. Lincoln’s conflict as a father doesn’t low seamlessly with the rest of the narrative. It retrospect, seems that Lincoln’s domestic issues with missus were added merely to give views respite from all the politicking.

While a well-polished film, cinematographer Janusz Kamin'ski, who’s been collaborating with Spielberg since Schindler's List, is as good as ever, but fails to create a major impression with his broody photography. Caleb Deschanel, in the juvenile Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter uses a more striking palette. Admittedly, this is a broody film, and the shadowy chiaroscuro lighting works in it favour.

While cinemagoers may get less than what they bargained for, actors will find a master class in Lincoln. Above the direction and writing, Day-Lewis makes the film work. The film is a showcase for his talent and the latter puts  Likewise, history fans and political science students could salvage something from this film.