From my favorite movies..

Dreadfully Boring

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

Well, I picked this up on blueray at a local story without knowing anything about it. Unfortunately, it is not what I expected. This is not a theatrical movie. IT's more like a documentary from the history channel or something. It was okay if you like watching TV but don't expect a movie. Historically it is very accurate but I did have some problems with this. For starters,, "from this point Lincoln has 12 days to live." Wow,, seriously? They kept counting this down. Very TV like. Secondly, why does everyone portray Lincoln as the slowest moving man in history? He wasn't that old. I'm pretty sure a guy his age could walk faster than a snail moving through molasses, but every actor seems to think Lincoln moved and walked like a 105 year old man! Finally,, and this is the one that really bugs me. Several times now, including in this movie,, actors doing narration refer to a horse mounted unit as THE CALVARY.. That is wrong. Calvary was the hill where Jesus was crucified. The word is CAVALRY - a horse mounted unit.. the V comes before the L. Does no one in Hollywood or the US. realize this? Why doesn't a script supervisor, set historian, or someone else say,, "Excuse me,, you're pronouncing that word wrong. It just cheapens the whole production.

Based on Bill O'Reilly's book of the same name, this is a documentary of Abraham Lincoln (Billy Campbell) and John Wilkes Booth (Jesse Johnson) as they head into the history books. Coming so close to Daniel Day-Lewis' amazing performance, Billy Campbell is unable to measure up. Booth is suppose to be a great actor. I wish they got somebody more well known than Jesse Johnson. He does a capable job but he needs a more powerful presence. The surprise comes from Tom Hanks' narration. When it first starts, I thought it was a grave mistake. After some time, his narration grows on me. And I really like the constant repetition of "Lincoln has ______ to live". It's a great way to build tension as the clock counts down. The production is good for a TV movie. I can't really vouch for its academic accuracy. I do wish for more on Booth. Lincoln's story could be trimmed but there is a good sequence of him visiting Richmond after its fall. It's a good watch.

If you watch this movie, you will know the facts of the events leading to, the events of, and the results of Abraham Lincoln's assassination. This is most excellently performed.The actors who portrayed both Lincoln (Billy Campbell) & Booth (Jesse Johnson) performed A plus roles. Both actors conveyed the feel of the age and the personality of both historical persons as history has made them known to us. Excellent. Johnson for sure deserves an award. Watching his performance, you will feel that you know Booth.If you are at all interesting in these events, watch this movie. You will be well educated, informed, and entertained. In this modern day, such a combination is rare, indeed.In the highest minded rationale, this is as good an expression of the TV art as there can be.

For over fifty years, I have been intrigued with the story of the Lincoln assassination. For the past thirty-eight years, I have lived with it on a day-to-day basis as first a volunteer and then director of the Surratt House Museum in Clinton, Maryland. During that time, I have worked with researchers, authors, journalists, and a variety of film makers from the old In Search Of series, Unsolved Mysteries, History Channel productions, and more - including The Conspirator movie directed by Robert Redford.Through those years, I have waited patiently for someone to give an accurate, detailed account based on the facts of the Lincoln conspiracy. I finally have seen the best depiction to date with Killing Lincoln. Thank you to all the writers, directors, cast members, and production staff who finally took the time to get the story right. It's an event that came at the end of a horrible war and changed the course of American history. With skillful writing, directing, and acting - and with the excellent guiding narrative by Tom Hanks, my waiting patiently has paid off. Thanks to all.