After defining the modern blockbuster 50 years ago with 1975’s Jaws, Steven Spielberg has forged a career that marries mass appeal with masterful filmmaking. Across 36 feature films (and counting), Spielberg’s work has encompassed everything from the massive sci-fi spectacle of Minority Report and War of the Worlds to intimate historical dramas like The Color Purple and Amistad, with plenty of fantastic stops in between. In the midst of technological advancements in the 21st Century, Spielberg turned in a film that easily ranks as not only one of his best works, but one of the best films of the century so far: 2012’s Lincoln.
Since the turn of the century, Spielberg has stretched his artistry somewhat, trying his hand at CGI-heavy fare like The Adventures of Tintin and Ready Player One, alongside the lightly fictionalized autobiography of his most recent feature, The Fabelmans. However, it’s the inside look at the wheeling and dealing that went into passing the 13th Amendment to officially end slavery in America that stands as his best so far. It’s an immensely compelling film, anchored by one of the finest performances from one of the greatest actors alive.
With its recent addition to Hulu, those who missed it 13 years ago have another chance to find out what it took to ensure freedoms that it’s easy to take for granted.
‘Lincoln’s Messy Politics

As the Civil War dragged on, the end of slavery in America was anything but assured. Lincoln gets candid about how razor-thin the margin for victory was for Abraham Lincoln and his associates, who spend most of the film trying to convince their fellow elected officials to vote for the constitutional amendment that would abolish the practice of slavery. The fact is, abolition wasn’t all that popular a cause for many Americans at that time, even among those who were opposed to slavery in theory. Many congressmen worry about the political implications of voting yes, as it very well may cost them their seats in the next election.
The film presents Lincoln himself as a complicated figure, one who believes fully in bringing an end to slavery and who isn’t above using his presidential power to make it happen. Late in the film, when the Confederates have been defeated and are on their way to Washington to surrender, Lincoln orders them to be kept waiting until he can get the amendment over the finish line. Allowing the war to end would also erode the remaining public support for abolition, and Lincoln is more than willing to let the war drag on a little longer to achieve his goals.
In the present day, it’s easy to argue the ends justified the means, but as the film makes clear, Lincoln’s popularity suffered considerably during this time, both within Washington and with the American people. Spielberg’s Lincoln is a deeply principled figure, one who knows that he’s doing the right thing regardless of what it takes to get there. The film doesn’t exactly take him down from the pedestal that American culture has placed him on, but it provides more nuance to a figure that’s largely only known in broad strokes.

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Why ‘Lincoln’ Is a Modern Classic

Lincoln represents Spielberg at the peak of his powers, bringing all the confident artistry accumulated over 50 years into one sublime package. The film looks stunning, with Spielberg’s frequent cinematographer Janusz Kaminski bathing 1860s Washington in soft sunlight, complementing Joanna Johnston’s impeccable costume design. This also marks the first time Spielberg would work from a script by Tony Kushner, the Pulitzer-winning playwright who went on to write West Side Story and The Fabelmans for the director. His expert flair for language animates the film’s contentious congressional scenes, with representatives trading colorful barbs that lay bare the theater underpinning American politics.
The cast is absolutely stacked, with great performances from the likes of James Spader, John Hawkes, David Strathairn, Hal Holbrook, Tommy Lee Jones, and so many more, who often pop in small roles. Other actors, like David Oyelowo and recent Oscar nominee Colman Domingo, briefly appear on their way to major stardom. Sally Field deservedly received an Oscar nomination for her work as Lincoln’s troubled wife, Mary Todd, whose deep grief over the loss of their son Willy still threatens to overwhelm her. One of the film’s most blistering scenes finds Abe and Mary arguing over whether to let their other son, Robert (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), enlist, risking losing him as well.

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Of course, the film wouldn’t work nearly as well without a great Lincoln at its center, and Lincoln is one of the best marriages of project and star in recent memory. Daniel Day-Lewis won his record-breaking third best actor Oscar for the role, a win that was likely inevitable to anyone who saw the film. His work is as effortlessly masterful as Spielberg’s, playing Lincoln with a gentle sense of stillness that anchors him even in his most volcanic moments. Day-Lewis would famously only appear in one more film, 2017’s Phantom Thread, before retiring, and his work here is a reminder of just how lucky cinema was to have him around (though it was announced last year that he’d soon be returning to screens in his son Ronan’s film Anemone, which is serious cause for celebration).
Many political narratives position their stories as a conflict between the forces of good and evil, with the holdouts listening to their hearts and knowing what they’re doing is right. Lincoln, on the other hand, shows that it’s a lot more complicated than that, that even a morally righteous crusade like abolishing slavery is complicated by politics and power. It was true in 1865, and it’s still true today. But as history has proven, that doesn’t make it any less worth doing.

Lincoln

Release Date

November 9, 2012

Runtime

150minutes