Steven Spielberg directs Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in this historical biopic of Abraham Lincoln, following his attempts to end slavery before the Civil War is won.

Plays out very much like homework. Handsome homework for sure but still eating your greens, any which way you cut it. Day-Lewis’ Lincoln feels like a side character among the busy ensemble. James Spader probably gives a career best turn as lobbying sleaze on the right side of history and Tommy Lee Jones commands the admirable Thaddeus Stevens… who by the last act you realise has the agency and the arc we should be focussing on. It is Spielberg, so you could never accuse of it being an average film, yet I wouldn’t rush to rewatch Lincoln unless I find myself doing a History A-Level and need to skim past a few textbooks.

6

Perfect Double Bill: 12 Years A Slave (2013)

My wife and I do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/