Though Steven Spielberg doesn’t need to reaffirm why he is one of the most brilliant film-makers of our time, he still does with this very ambitious period film. We get to meet the quietly charismatic Abraham Lincoln, played magically by Daniel Day-Lewis, who just won the Golden Globe and BAFTA amongst many other awards for his performance.

The film is shot as if it captures history, LIVE! The cinematography, set and costumes are flawless. The supporting cast, all of them, effectively show us the 19^th century America. The feelings about slavery and colour, which would shock the present viewer, were perfectly normal at that time. It’s Lincoln’s vision and his ability to communicate it via interesting and anecdotal story telling, that paved the way for a tolerant and free USA.

If you don’t have a good understanding of the amendments and how they were passed during that time, then this film is a crash course! It is perhaps its biggest strength but also its weakest point, for it gets too detailed and sluggish at times, in the effort to inform.

Tommy Lee Jones’ character provides the wit, humour and required lift in the graph of an otherwise temperate film, and it’s those moments which give us relief from the history lesson J

A long film which is brimming with talent, but maybe not with lasting entertainment.

3/5