Why So Blu?

The Conspirator tells the true story of the events that followed the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln that most people aren’t completely aware of.  The movie opens on a battlefield where we see the aftermath of one of the battles that occurred at the end of the Civil War.  Amongst the dead, lie two wounded Union soldiers, including Frederick Aiken (James McAvoy) and his friend Nicholas Baker (Justin Long).  On the surface, this may seem like a superfluous scene but it actually establishes a couple of things.  One is that it provides a  glimpse of a war that cost more American lives than any other war (which is still true today), and it also establishes the noble character of Aiken who orders rescuers to save his friend first.

The film jumps ahead in time and Aiken is now an up and coming lawyer who is well regarded by the upper class society who appreciates his military service and accomplishments.  While at a dinner party, the guests learn that the President has been shot and they witness his body being taken from Ford’s Theater to a house across the street.  It’s not long before the Secretary of War Edwin Stanton (Kevin Kline) arrives to take charge and attempt to restore order.  He mobilizes forces to hunt down the killer and his accomplices and shuts down the streets to cut off their escape.

It isn’t long before Lincoln’s killer and his accomplices are either killed or captured by Union forces and the survivors are forced to stand trial.  It’s soon discovered that the conspirators plotted at first to kidnap the President and when that fell through, went forward with a plot to kill him.  Unfortunately for Mary Surratt (Robin Wright), the plans were made at her boarding-house and she is rounded up along with the other accomplices to face the death penalty for treason.

Mary Surratt’s original lawyer is the principled Senator from Maryland Reverdy Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) but he removes himself as her lawyer since he believes he will do more harm than good for her case because of his state’s southern leanings.  He asks Aiken to take over the cast which Aiken reluctantly does as he believes that Mary is as guilty as the others.  Despite his misgivings, Aiken does the best he can to represent her and discovers that Stanten and the court system are determined to do whatever it takes to get a guilty conviction and to see the prisoners hang.

Aiken’s mounting desire to combat the illegal maneuvers that Stanton and the Federal prosecutor Joe Holt (Danny Huston) ends up costing him quite a bit personally.  He loses his girlfriend, his membership to a social club, and he becomes a pariah amongst the townspeople.  Only his closest friends Baker and Hamilton (James Badge Dale) remain by his side during the trial.  With the might of the political machinery of the United States against him, Aiken must fight for his client against a pre-ordained fate.

I enjoyed The Conspirator but I also have a great appreciation for history.  The movie’s authenticity added a lot but I can understand why a lot of people may be turned off by the film’s pace.  Robert Redford is an excellent director who’ve I’ve long admired as both an actor as a director.  I can see what interested him in this movie, with it’s similarities to modern events such as a government’s attempt to try civilians in a military court and how power can be abused in the pursuit of justice.

Redford assembled a great cast for this film, led by McAvoy who had a great year between this and X-Men – First Class.  Kevin Kline is fantastic in his role as an well intentioned man who will subvert justice itself in order to achieve his own twisted sense of justice.  Wright, Huston, Wood, and Wilkinson perform their roles with their customary excellence and I also really appreciated how the pre-electric atmosphere was captured for the film.

The film’s 1080p (2.35:1) transfer looks great despite being deliberately desaturated and filmed in low light.  Redford wanted the film to be historically accurate so the entire film is lit by either sunlight, candles, oil lamps, or torches which provides some great atmosphere but leaves the film looking quite dark.  Some may not appreciate this artistic choice, but I felt it added a lot to the film.  Despite the low light, there’s some great detail evident and the black levels are thankfully as dark and deep as they should be.  This is a fine transfer that looks great even handicapped as it is by creative decisions.

The Conspirator’s lossless DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 track is also very effective despite being a historical film filled with dialogue.  The film gets a couple of chances to show off what it can do with scenes like the opening Civil War battle or during the crowd scenes following the President being shot where the citizens are filled with anxiety and work themselves up into a frenzy.  Dialogue is always clear and easy to understand and the music by Mark Isham is nicely integrated with the rest of the dialogue and effects.

Even if you don’t care for the movie, these extras might entice you to keep the disc anyway.  This disc is loaded with a ton of HD extras that will keep you busy for over five hours!

If you are interested in a historically accurate film that tells the story of one aspect of the Lincoln assassination that most of the public isn’t aware of, then this is your film.  Well directed, and filled with great performances, this film offers something intelligent for audiences to watch in between a lot of the dreck currently being pushed out by studios.  This is another fine directorial effort by Robert Redford!

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