Review of The Conspirator (2011) by G M — 27 Aug 2011

I'm normally not a big fan of films about American History, but "The Conspirator" presented captivating frames, courtroom drama, and two remarkable acting performances - enough elements to get me engaged into its period drama.

The de-saturation of the entire film gripped me from the moment I saw its previews months ago, and was truly the biggest reason why I saw this film. It would probably have been even more spectacular for me to have seen the images professionally projected on the big theatre screen as opposed to viewing a projection on my bedroom wall. Nevertheless, the beauty of the frames still came across and provided an illusion that I was peeking into historical accounts as they were happening in the aftermath of Lincoln's assassination. Mary Surratt's prison cell scenes were the most captivating for me. They looked like moving renaissance paintings, especially with the strong, focused, and almost divine source of lighting. Such gloriously crafted setting cradled an initially mildly hostile relationship between Mary Surratt (Wright) and Frederick Aiken (McAvoy) and caressed it into an intimate attorney-client relationship, which displayed itself in the solitude of Surratt's cell and in the spectacle of the military tribunal. The courtroom drama was interesting, yet definitely not robust and exciting enough. In the absence of Wright's and McAvoy's gifted performances, those scenes would have been less than satisfactory. Overall, it was an engaging film and a great way to provide a little education to a non-history buff.