What a mind-numbingly flat and boring thing this period courtroom drama is, never mind its heavyweight subject about the conspiracy behind the assassination of American president Abraham Lincoln—shockingly so since the film is directed by Robert Redford, the man whose debut film Ordinary People swept the Oscars three decades ago. My, my, how times have changed.
It’s all pretty stilted: The action begins with James McAvoy’s character, Frederick Aiken, facing death on an American Civil War battlefield. Soon, he’s a young lawyer charged with defending the indefensible. Mary Surratt (Robin Wright) is a mother-of-two facing the death penalty for her alleged involvement in the assassination of US President Abraham Lincoln in April, 1865. Attempts to murder the top three of the American government illustrate that one killer could not have acted alone. So boarding house owner Mary is one of the defendants in a trial of men who had used her property as a meeting place. Her son is still on the run, so keeping her on trial might help to draw him in. Meanwhile, Aiken is increasingly convinced of Surratt’s innocence while being drawn towards her attractive daughter, Anna (Evan Rachel Wood, slighly miscast), although none of this really means anything as the film is so devoid of any real drama or emotions—the whole thing plays out like a second-grade Hallmark TV movie.
The Conspirator’s biggest problem is not in the acting department—the all-star cast fill their respective roles aptly enough, especially Penn as sullen Mary and the always watchable McAvoy with a palpable American accent and piercing green eyes. The main issue here is that none of the proceedings have any excitement—seriously, are you interested in getting caught up in hokey legal arguments from almost two centuries ago when you can watch another contemporary rom-com (yes, even we need our popcorn fodder once in a while)? Do not fall for this conspiracy at any cost.