Somehow Bob Redford's Lincoln assassination movie, "The Conspirator," flew right past me, making it to limited release with me barely even noticing it. I guess maybe that whole "limited release" thing is a factor. We also can't discount the "limited advertising" aspect of the situation, nor the "limited good reviews" that limited buzz.
Still, it sounds intriguing to me. It's a legal drama about the military trial of conspirator Mary Surratt. Redfords's film offers many appealing elements--Lincoln stuff, assasination stuff, Period Tom Wilkinson--but it also offers an apalling element:
Justin Long.
Nothing against Justin Long personally, or even professionally, really, but he is as out of place in a period film as I am in a hot tub with Drew Barrymore. Some might point to the inclusion of Alexis Bledel and Stephen Root as signs that Redford's casting isn't too canny in this picture, but Long stands out to me.
I mean, when I discovered that Long is not only in the movie but has a significant role as an "injured Civil War veteran," I laughed. I laughed for a good 20 seconds, which may not sound like much until you think about how long that really is for someone who is alone at the time.
Mocking laughter is not the kind of money response you want from the potential audience for a sober, provocative historical drama.
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