Review of Lincoln (2012) by Kyle R — 21 Sep 2013

I though the first 30-45 minutes of the movie was poor bordering on bad. The movie also should have cut after the amendment was passed and not continued on for 20 mins for no reason. Also, while some of the physical sets and images were well made and looked fantastic, the camera work really took away from them. The constant shifting and zooming which seemed to try to build effect and emphasis on the script was really poor and instead of adding to the film, all the camera work did was prevent the viewer from admiring a perfectly balanced set, appreciating a creative angle, or experiencing an actors great acting. There were almost too many stars in the film for me as well, and if Tommy Lee-Jones plays the exact same character role in one more film, I think I will die from ceaseless repetition.

Now all that being said, I do think Tommy did a decent job in his role, and the set work was excellent. I also loved the desire from Daniel and the producers to make a realistic version of perhaps one of the greatest Americans of all time. Finally we see a real human version of Lincoln and can still respect and love him for who he really was. Not some idealized fantasy of a perfect man who could do no wrong. Of course Daniel did an excellent job and his argument scene with Sally was undeniably amazing! It did bother me a smidgen that Daniel worked so hard on getting Lincoln's accent and vocal tone correct but could not keep his own Irish accent from seeping through.

Overall I'm mixed about the film, but would consider it "fresh".