The Conspirator

Spielberg's Lincoln and Redford's The Conspirator - the perfect double feature. The Conspirator may be a slightly weaker brother in terms of directorial imagination, cinematographic magnificence, musical accompaniment or generous-looking sets, but that doesn't detract from its brilliance. It captivates above all with a gripping, in all cases superbly acted story that quite unexpectedly digs into everything typically American, juggles truth and lies, justice and injustice like a skilled circus performer and in the end thrills, shocks and moves the audience. And it's not just for the audience "in the know", it's understandable for everyone. (20/04/2013)

From the beginning I was puzzled how such a rewarding scene as the shooting of Lincoln with all that goes with it (the theater, the assassin jumping in front of the audience with the rebel slogan on his lips, carrying Lincoln across the street) could be filmed so boringly and uninventively. Unfortunately, the film never turns it around. Redford's direction is as dry as his acting, and the most striking scenes are the courtroom ones (thank goodness they're plentiful), because there's a lot of talking and I don't have to at least wonder why the same dolly shot is being repeated for the fourth time. Then someone cleverly tried to enrich the visual boredom with added grain and accentuation of light sources in post-production, but that won't hold you for two hours... Ideal for a history lesson to get a sense of what it was (probably) like back then. (27/12/2011)

At first, I was concerned with thoughts of "academic boredom," but from the moment McAvoy starts to doubt, political glossateur Redford takes you by the hand and guides you through the upturned face of the sacred American Constitution in a way never seen before. I was expecting glorified heroes in a clash with essential evil, but Redford puts into the mouths of his characters formulas that many statesmen still use today, and that's why his film manages to tease with its topicality even though the actors are wearing historical costumes. And it is the actors whose sovereignty even in minimal spaces (Kevin Kline!) allows you to forget that it's all presented in a somewhat... "cinematic" way. (29/09/2011)