Historians have talked about and discussed the greatest country leaders ever. People like Alexander the Great, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, and many more have roamed our history books. Among them is the 16th President of the United States of America, Abraham Lincoln.
Despite the title of this movie being Lincoln, it doesn't talk about much of the great President's life but on the 13th Amendment that abolished slavery in the U.S.
Plot Overview
The movie begins when U.S. President Abraham Lincoln expects the Civil War will end soon after the defeat of the Confederate States. However, he is concerned that the Emancipation Proclamation will be discarded and needs the Thirteenth Amendment to pass before the war ends. He also fears the formerly enslaved people will be re-enslaved once the conflict ends.
The Republicans fear the Amendment will be defeated by those who want to delay its passage. For it to completely pass, they need the support of the border states and some Democratic congressmen. Since some have become lazy after losing the re-election campaign, Lincoln sees this as an opportunity to win their votes.
Lincoln hoped to rely on Francis Preston Blair, a founder of the Republican Party whose massive influence would help them gain the support of the border states. Blair hopes to end the conflict because his two sons are part of the Union Army.
The Amendment gained friction from Congress as the Democratic Party insisted that there was no need to revise the Constitution because the war would end. As the voting day closes, Lincoln and his trusted associates begin scrambling to persuade the votes of others.
Review
Lincoln brought in a massive ensemble of talents such as Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, Lee Pace, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and many more. Adam Driver gets a minor role as a member of the Union Army. I have to give my hats off to Daniel Day-Lewis for portraying Lincoln like no other. He's truly an actor of a different caliber.
The fascinating thing about Lincoln is how its title doesn't correspond to the story. It will be okay if it is the Thirteenth Amendment or anything related. I still like how they incorporated the assassination at the end.
I like how the story is structured, but a couple of scenes are quite slow, and sometimes nothing is happening. The movie itself feels like a massive dramatization of the whole 13th Amendment signing.
Overall, I think this movie is quite solid if you want to learn and appreciate more about