Steven Spielberg, Daniel Day Lewis, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones and more make for high expectations from this movie. We have come to expect that Spielberg can tell a story that deals with a certain historical setting and bring the times and people to life. Lewis is known for not just his acting, but his becoming the person he is representing. Those two aspects mash together to make this movie very nearly acceptable.

Focusing not so much on the war that Lincoln was fighting against the southern United States, this movie deals with the struggles of getting the 13th amendment passed. For those who do not know this amendment finally outlawed slavery in the United States. So if you are tuning in here to see another war movie, or even to see Lincoln the Commander-In-Chief you are in the wrong place.

I went into the movie with an open mind, but that quickly closed by the time the credits rolled. In reading articles and even reviews about this movie one thing kept popping up. When asked if it is historical the main response was always, “Well, it is a historical DRAMA, not a documentary.” or some turn of that phrase.

One of the mist glaring inaccuracies, among many, was that during the final act of the film when congress was voting on the 13th amendment, the screen writer changed Connecticut’s vote placing two of the three members in a position of supporting slavery. This frankly was not the way the vote went down. When confronted the screenwriter basically said that more tension was needed in the scene so he took some liberties.

Yeah, OK.

As a drama it is a good movie, but it is not history. Watch with your eyes open and afterwards be ready to Google up a storm looking for the truth. Recommended? If you like the drama, sure. If you want the history, nope.

Here is a google search that will get you a list of everything wrong with the movie, Lincoln. List