The Conspirator
2011 Directed by Robert Redford
Synopsis
One bullet killed the President. But not one man.
Mary Surratt is the lone female charged as a co-conspirator in the assassination trial of Abraham Lincoln. As the whole nation turns against her, she is forced to rely on her reluctant lawyer to uncover the truth and save her life.
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Utterly disinterested in history as I am, I knew nothing of the story of Mary Surratt, owner of the boardinghouse in which the Lincoln assassination plot was hatched. Redford gives the story enough life to let the two hours it takes him to tell it pass by without overstaying its welcome, his pacing imperfect but never problematic. Wright is the star here, giving a compassionate portrait of a complicated woman whose allegiances we are never terribly sure of ourselves. McAvoy is good, but has been a lot better, and strong support comes from Colm Meaney and Stephen Root, among others. Redford's best work here is the lighting of the courtroom scenes, making their dramatic conformity more tolerable by shaking up…
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Creo que no ofrece nada nuevo al género pero sigue siendo una película interesante con buen hilo narrativo y tensión dramática.
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Historically Accurate ... Supremely Relevent ... and yet, Politically Polarizing, "THE CONSPIRATOR" is the first feature film to come from Joe Rickett's newly formed American Film Company, whose aim is to produce engaging, authentic films from America's storied past. The fledging film company scored it's first major victory here ... first off by convincing Robert Redford to board the project as director, and then completing the film within a single year.
I've always loved court room dramas ("A FEW GOOD MEN", "THE VERDICT", "12 ANGRY MEN" are three of my all-time favorites), and while this movie will certainly be added to my own personal list of great "court room dramas", it is also a great "piece presenting a part of…
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Robert Redford is one of the most iconic actors of his generation but I am unconvinced he is as skilled as a director. The Conspirator is his latest film as director since the heavy handed and soporific, Lions for Lambs and I’m not sure this leaden courtroom drama is much better.
It is a potentially interesting story but Redford lays it on thick with his modern parallels (Guantanamo and the way certain countries deal with suspected terrorists etc.) and an overly earnest tone. The performances are decent with strong turns from Robin Wright and James McAvoy. The supporting cast are equally as accomplished it is just a shame they aren’t working with better material. Instead the film plods along with…
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For almost a decade now, James McAvoy has been rising the ranks of the acting elite by giving reliable performances as varied as he is reliable. He's gone from a soldier trying to survive for his love to a bona-fide action star to a charismatic young man caught between two passionate, bickering lovers. Through it all, he has remained consistent and always managed to make a huge impression even when starring opposite big names like Forest Whitaker and Helen Mirren. Here in The Conspirator he takes on another role that wouldn't seem instantly appropriate for him, that of a Civil War-era lawyer and makes it entirely his own and manages to amaze. He brings his own unique charm and charisma…
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Excellent cast and solid performances even though some of the characters got totally wasted in the movie. I did not like the melodrama especially in the final stage of the film but all in all Conspirator is a well crafted movie.
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The Conspirator is a tense and interesting film surrounding the court cases in the aftermath of the Lincoln assassination, its well acted and directed but sometimes drifts from the narrative. Its a solid movie which is well crafted by Redford whether it be the cinematography and set design which successfully places us in a 19th century America or the music which is very mellow allowing the audience to take in and feel the emotion and morals of the scenes. The acting is great especially that of James McAvoy, Robin Wright and Evan Rachel Wood who throughout allow us to engage and never lose interest in their characters or the events happening. The films issue though is it is filled with far too many political messages which are often repeated over and over meaning we are never allowed to escape them. Overall, a solid and strong court drama with some great performances but far too many political messages to digest.
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It's a shame Robert Redford's film is so aesthetically uninspired and plays it so safe with the main characters, because "The Conspirator" has it's moments. The film explores the true story of the only woman involved in the plot to assassinate Lincoln, and how the US political and judicial system (lusting for revenge on southerners at the end of the Civil War) convicts a woman plainly innocent of any blame. The film clearly equates the removal of civil liberties and the bending of constitutional rights to the George W Bush Presidency and the "War on Terror". It just isn't consistent, and it is surprising that a man who has worked on so many interesting films would show almost no interest in the aesthetic aspects of his film. Still, it's more thematically relevant than Spielberg's "Lincoln".
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I really wanted to love this film, but I just couldn't get into it. It has major pacing issues but the acting is solid enough to make up for it. McAvoy carries the film, and does a fantastic job.
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Publiqué el 24/07/2012:
Acabo de ver "The Conspirator", de Redford; interesante reconstrucción sobre las graves falencias del juicio por el asesinato de Lincoln...
2012-07-24 06:13:32 (EDT)Y no es que Redford ande clavado en curiosidades históricas... Las resonancias actuales (Manning, Wikileaks, Guantánamo, etc.) son evidentes
2012-07-24 06:20:26 (EDT)The Conspirator (Redford, 2010)
t.co/X1OCQUAT
2012-07-24 06:27:17 (EDT) -
This could have been a better movie, I just don't know what it was missing.
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boring and very long this film is an account of a crime we all know very well but filled with some unnecessary story lines and full of melodramatic and sentimental stuff.
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Creo que no ofrece nada nuevo al género pero sigue siendo una película interesante con buen hilo narrativo y tensión dramática.
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