Movie · 2012 · History, Drama · 2h 30m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 6.6/10 (512K ratings)
The hours that changed history.
Overview
The revealing story of the 16th US President's tumultuous final months in office. In a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, Lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery. With the moral courage and fierce determination to succeed, his choices during this critical moment will change the fate of generations to come.
Ratings
Curator score: 6.6/10
IMDb: 7.3/10
Letterboxd: 3.59/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Metacritic: 87
TMDB: 6.8/10
Director
Steven Spielberg
Production
DreamWorks Pictures, Reliance Entertainment, Participant, Amblin Entertainment, The Kennedy/Marshall Company, Dune Entertainment
Cast
Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, Tommy Lee Jones, John Hawkes, Jackie Earle Haley, Bruce McGill, Tim Blake Nelson, Joseph Cross, Jared Harris, Lee Pace, Peter McRobbie, Gulliver McGrath, Gloria Reuben, Jeremy Strong, Michael Stuhlbarg, Boris McGiver
Where to watch
Hulu
Curator Review
Verdict
A stately, dialogue-driven historical drama anchored by Daniel Day-Lewis’s extraordinary performance and Spielberg’s controlled, humane direction. It can feel talky and procedural, but the political maneuvering and moral stakes give it real dramatic weight.
Best for
Viewers who like prestige historical dramas
Fans of political process stories and legislative intrigue
People interested in Civil War-era American history
Audiences who appreciate transformative lead performances
Skip if
You want fast pacing or constant action
You prefer broad emotional melodrama over procedural detail
You dislike films centered on political negotiation and debate
You are looking for a more inclusive, ground-level Civil War perspective
Overview
Lincoln is less a sweeping biography than a chamber piece about power, persuasion, and moral compromise. Spielberg turns the final push for the 13th Amendment into a tense political drama, finding suspense in votes, speeches, and backroom bargaining rather than battlefield spectacle.
Worth noting
Daniel Day-Lewis gives the film its gravity, but the ensemble is crucial: Tommy Lee Jones, Sally Field, and a deep bench of character actors make the House and cabinet rooms feel alive with competing pressures. The movie’s attention to process is both its strength and, for some viewers, its main hurdle.
Bottom line
It is a polished, serious-minded film that believes institutions can be bent toward justice through persistence and rhetoric. Even when it feels formal, it remains moving, especially as a portrait of leadership under historical strain.
Top Letterboxd reviews
James (Schaffrillas) (2★) · 1737 likes
Yo Jess, you gotta, uh, get the fucking best doctors in the city, tell em to get to the theatre RIGHT FUCKING NOW. And if he, uhh, doesn't fuckin pull through and we gotta get a funeral going, dust off my rap costume cause it's time for a fucking L to the OG reprise
James (Schaffrillas) (2★) · 1028 likes
I've seen this movie three times. I have TRIED to like it.
But goddammit this is one of the most boring films I've ever seen in my life. Daniel Day-Lewis and Tommy Lee Jones are the only things holding this movie together.
Patrick Willems · 1013 likes
Forgot that half the shots in this movie have Jeremy Strong in the background silently staring at Daniel Day Lewis in awe
Jay (3★) · 1000 likes
the truth is ive never seen anything with daniel day lewis nor seen him in real life and yall talk about him like hes a 80 year old veterern who somehow keeps coming back from the dead for an oscar and my first thoughts after seeing him at the globes? fit
Will Menaker (4.5★) · 860 likes
Off the top of my head this movie has: Michael Stuhlbarg, Lee Pace, Walton Goggins, David Strathairn, Bruce McGill, Adam Driver, Jeremy Strong, David Costabile, James Spader, John Hawkes, Tim Blake Nelson, Jared Harris, Jackie Earle Haley, Peter McRobbie, the evil president from 24, Colman Domingo, Hal Holbrook, S, Epatha Merkerson...
It's like watching every great TV character actor our lifetimes come together to abolish slavery. A moving and credible rendering of American history that is also an Obama-era fantasy of "progressive" government.