In the wake of Abraham Lincoln's assassination, eight people are arrested and charged with conspiring to kill the President, Vice President and Secretary of State. The lone woman of the group, Mary Surratt, who owned the boarding house where the conspirators supposedly met and hatched their plan, is being tried and a death sentence could be her fate. Surratt's only chance of survival rests in the hands of Frederick Aiken, a 28-year-old war hero who is defending her before a military tribunal.
In an effort to prove that historical events can still be entertaining without the falsified plot twists and unrealistic characters that often populate "historical fiction," The American Film Company joined with director Robert Redford to present an accurate re-telling of the trial of Mary Surratt.
While most of us are only familiar with the involvement of John Wilkes Booth in relation to the murder of Abraham Lincoln, it was interesting to see a new side of the story.
Robin Wright does a brilliant job playing leading lady Surratt. Wright shows a vulnerable yet brave side of a woman who has little hope of surviving the spectacle of what must have been the trial of the century. Her performance is pivotal to the success of the film, and though a bit dry at times, she delivers just when the film needs it most.
James McAvoy is solid beside her, portraying her morally-confused lawyer Frederick Aiken. He, along with co-stars Tom Wilkinson, Evan Rachel Wood, Kevin Kline, Alexis Bledel, Justin Long and Jonathan Groff give the film a strong supporting staff, though with Redford at the helm, I can't say that I was at all surprised. Such heavy support is great for a film like this, however it does add an unneeded layer of complexity as every character seems trivial to the overall teaching - which is not the case here.
My main disappointment with The Conspirator lies in the excitement. Bogged down with dialogue, the film never creates the intensity that surrounds most "trial films" of this magnitude. The film is still able to work thanks to the high powered emotion given off whenever politics are involved, however, it felt as if something was always missing.
I still strongly recommend checking out the film. It wasn't as good as I had hoped, however, with the strong push to be historically accurate and the high list of credible actors, The Conspirator is an easy conversation starter, and any film that sticks with you for days has made its point - this one was made loud and clear.
