#12 - The Best Republican

12 – LINCOLN: The passage of the 13^th amendment gets the Spielberg treatment with Daniel Day-Lewis a shoo-in to win nearly every major acting award.  Quickly vacillating from heartbreaking to hilarious, this film featured my favorite dialogue of the year.  The eloquence with which these folks rip each other a new one is so refreshing. The wit comes thick and fast while never detracting from the weightiness of the issue at hand: freedom.  This is a fascinating case study of how a major bill gets passed, with bribing, cajoling, and threats all employed.  The cast is full of brilliant actors, and they seem to relish inhabiting characters from an era long forgotten. (continues after the jump)

While we all know how this story ends, the tension and anxiety felt palpable sitting in my theater chair.  A great moral question hangs over everything that happens: is prolonging the Civil War justified by the pursuit of ending one of the greatest travesties in human history?  What about if that pursuit seems destined to fail?  Lincoln feels the pressure of this choice on his shoulders, and he manages it all with a calm smile and a story to share. 
 His rare explosive outbreaks reveal how much is at stake, however, and the third act is an emotional ride.  Great parallels to the current gay civil rights movement as well.  If you have any interest in American history, or amazing acting, check this one out.