Contrary to the title's intimation, “Lincoln” is not so much a biographical film as it is a factual study of two of the most crucial incidents in American history: the passing of the 13th Amendment and the conclusion of the Civil War. The film focusesses on Abraham Lincoln's incredible leadership in the last four months of his tenure, rather than his whole life.
It's the year 1865. The movie starts with re-election of President Abraham Lincoln played by Daniel Day-Lewis, and the Confederacy's odds of surviving another spring in the ensuing Civil War are grim. Lincoln fears that after the civil war is over, Congress will reject the Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln observes the approaching conclusion of the Civil War and ponders what will become of the liberated slaves. He sees inadequacy and even irony in his Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, which liberated most slaves as a war measure but did not make slavery unlawful. Only a constitutional amendment outlawing slavery, he knows, will put an end to it in America for good. Within his own cabinet, debate rages but Lincoln believes that the constitutional amendment cannot wait until the war is stopped, lest the Southern Slaves who has been liberated as a war measure slip back into involuntary servitude. Therefore, before Lincoln can consider the prospect of the South's surrender, he wishes the Amendment to be ratified, legally abolishing slavery in the Union.
The Senate has already passed the amendment and the House of Representatives is yet to vote on it. Although, Lincoln is confident that his fellow republicans will vote yes, he and his staff will have to work diligently behind the scenes to ensure enough yes votes from Democrats, which could necessitate any compromise in other fields.
As it turns out, Lincoln was not above dirty politics and vote buying. To gain the vote of some racist Democrats, he hides facts from Congress and recruits lobbyists. Spielberg's Lincoln isn't an abstracted, unquestionable vision, but rather a profoundly conflicted, frequently lonely leader seeking to do the right thing even if it involves making a few questionable decisions along the way. Lincoln lobbies racial democrats for money and sacrifices his personal beliefs and philosophies in order to help achieve ideologies that would serve all of America. Slavery and compulsory servitude was abolished as a result of his efforts through the passage of the 13th Amendment.
“Lincoln” retained my attention; it's knowledgeable, analytical and heartfelt, with some beautifully shot moments and a one-of-a-kind core performance from Daniel Day-Lewis.
