If you go into this film expecting a civil war Saving Private Ryan then you'll be disappointed. There is only one battle scene and it doesn't even last 2 minutes. This film is entirely dialogue driven, consisting mostly of verbose political arguments both in and out of the house of representatives as they weigh the passage of the 13th amendment which granted freedom to the countries slaves. It is anchored by the incomparable Daniel Day Lewis as Lincoln, who, not surprisingly, delivers the kind of jaw-dropping acting performance that Oscars were made for. Every moment he speaks you lean in close, so as not to miss a single moment or gesture. At over 2.5 hours you'd think it would feel long, but it was over before I knew it. This is a testament not only to the marvelous acting on display but to Tony Kushner's brilliant script and of course to the sheer mastery of director Steven Spielberg, who proves once again that he's still got it. Some historians have pointed to the film's oversimplification and glossing over of certain facts. To them I say, stick to writing textbooks and opinion papers that nobody reads and leave the film-making to Mr Spielberg, I think he knows what he's doing.
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