Lincoln

By Harry McPhaul

Lincoln was an excellently well done film.  From the cast to set every single detail; everything was covered.  As I said in my podcast, this is one of the top three films of the year.  Also, I believe Daniel Day-Lewis gave the best performance of any actor in the past year.  I am sure we all read about how he transcends himself into each role he takes and I could clearly see the product.  I was able to learn more about the personal qualities of Lincoln rather than just his political success. 

The way the film shows the two different relationships that Lincoln has with his sons was one of my favorite plot points.  One scene I found particularly moving was when the youngest son was sleeping near the fireplace and Lincoln walks in, gets on his hands and knees, and then proceeds to rollover toward his sleeping son.  His son almost immediately grabs onto Lincolns back (still kind of sleeping).  Lincoln then gets up with his son on his back and walks him to his bed.  This touching scene showed that no matter what was going on; he was still a father before a president.  The significance behind this scene could not have been portrayed effectively without a remarkable supporting actor.

I went into the film not knowing that so many well-known actors had roles.  At first I pictured them as the roles that normally play but I began to believe their characters.  Although I do not think that Tommy Lee Jones should win Best Supporting Actor, I would not be dissatisfied if he did win.  Jones did play his usual grumpy old man character but I am not sure if it was the wig or the role that made this one of his best performances.   I liked Sally Field in this film but not quite as much as Jones.  All the actors had great chemistry which produced this magnificent film.  I would give this film a 9/10. Must see.