Lincoln - Film.

Lincoln (2012)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Tommy Lee-Jones, Sally Field
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443272/

It's hard not to talk about Lincoln without wanting to just rave about Daniel Day-Lewis. It's also hard to use superlatives that haven't already been said a dozen times over. I don't know Abraham Lincoln personally, but Day-Lewis brings him to life in a way befitting of the legend. He exudes charisma and makes it hard to turn away whenever he is on screen. Without any shadow of a doubt, Day-Lewis is one of the main reasons to watch this film.

Despite how great he is, he's backed up with other stellar performances. Sally Field in particular plays Mary Todd Lincoln. Field is superb and her character is believable as a woman who is Lincolns equal, just as fiery and strong-willed. Tommy Lee Jones is also fantastic as a hard as nails republican.

The problem with having a performance like Day-Lewis gives is that when he isn't on screen, you find yourself a little bored, just waiting for him to come back. Lincoln for the most part avoids this trap. However, even with an interesting world, and pretty huge events going on, it's easy to feel like you're just waiting for Day-Lewis to show up again.

For the most part though, Lincoln is thoroughly enjoyable throughout. It retains a sense of humor despite the enormity of the events going on. A grand test for a biopic is whether it can keep events you know the outcome of, tense. Spielberg pulls that off with ease. The final vote being gripping, tense and also pretty joyous at the end.

It's impossible to not recommend Lincoln. Even if you know the events off by heart, it does the next best thing to actually bringing him back to life and it's a joy to see Daniel Day-Lewis.