"The Conspirator," Robert Redford’s latest film, focuses on the trial of the lone female charged as a conspirator in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
Robin Wright plays the stoic Mary Surratt, owner of the H Street boarding house, where the plot to kill President Lincoln was hatched by John Wilkes Booth, Lewis Paine, George Atzerodt and Surratt’s son, John. Following the assassination, Mrs. Surratt is among the conspirators arrested and tried by a military tribunal. Fred Aiken, a former captain in the Union army, and a young lawyer played by James McAvoy is enlisted to defend Surratt. Though Aiken is not convinced of Surratt’s innocence, he defends her on the belief that there is insufficient evidence to prove she played an integral part in the assassination.
“The Conspirator” is a wonderful Civil War movie, and history buffs will relish how closely the film adheres to historical fact. The downside of sticking so closely to historical fact is that it leaves little room for the actors to breathe or develop their characters. Wright is terribly underutilized, and McAvoy makes a concerted effort to show his abilities, but it just falls flat. Redford who is much better known for his acting has proved his skills as a director in the past, but there are a few scenes in “The Conspirator” that show cracks in the façade. There were some scenes that seemed out of place and a bit comical in such a serious film. A more adept director would have been known better to leave those bits on the cutting room floor.
The tenor of the movie is quite timely considering the Obama administration’s decision to try the 9/11 conspirators in front of a military tribunal, after failing to gain political support for a federal trial. Redford may have intended for the film to be an allegory for the treatment of prisoners in Iraq
Overall, “The Conspirator” was an enjoyable experience and worth the money spent on the movie ticket. I would highly recommend the film to history buffs, and half-heartedly suggest it to anyone else.
