The Conspirator

My first theatrical viewing since January, Robert Redford's The Conspirator (2010) is an unexpected treat. Covering much the same ground as The Prisoner of Shark Island and The Andersonville Trial, it intelligently examines difficult questions about guilt, justice and civil liberties.

In April 1865, the American Civil War is finally ending, but another traumatic event shatters the peace: the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Conspirator John Surratt escapes custody, but his mother Mary (Robin Wright) is arrested and charged as an active member in the plot. Senator Reverdy Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) takes Mary's case, entrusting it to his protege Frederick Aiken (James McAvoy). Aiken is initially convinced of Mary's guilt, but finds himself more disgusted with her trial, a military tribunal manipulated by Secretary of War Edwin Stanton (Kevin Kline), where Mary is assumed guilty and witnesses are "influenced" or made unavailable.

The Conspirator follows a routine trial movie structure but remains compelling all the same. The courtroom scenes are gripping and Redford opens things up just enough with flashbacks and montage to make things appropriately cinematic. James D. Solomon's script definitely wants to consider the Lincoln Assassination in light of Gitmo and 9/11, with Stanton mouthing very Bush-like comments about national security, and concerns that disregarding the Constitution in wartime is a betrayal of American values.

Whether it's fair to frame things this way is debatable. Mary Surratt was probably guilty in real life, and any analogy between the War on Terror and Reconstruction is farfetched, to say the least. In the film, Mary's guilt is unclear but it's largely beside the point: her trial is unconstitutional and therefore wrong regardless of her guilt or innocence. One can accept Surratt's guilt and Redford's argument at once.

For all his speechmaking, Redford doesn't veer into Stanley Kramer territory, investing his plot and characters with welcome nuance. Aiken is sincere in his convictions, but comports himself obnoxiously both in and out of court. Mary isn't a high-minded idealist but a relatively simple woman concerned for her son - a very interesting (and unusual) characterization in this sort of film. She's also an uncooperative witness, complicating Aiken's case to the extreme. There's no "a-ha!" moment when Aiken suddenly becomes Perry Mason-lite, as in Breaker Morant, with the tribunal decidedly unimpressed by his antics. Despite its occasional bows to formula (Aiken's love interest and social life), this film treats its audience with respect.

James McAvoy (Atonement) is a decent protagonist, going through the motions of righteous indignation and hopelessness. Robin Wright (Forest Gump) owns the film: intelligent, calm, restrained yet fiery, more concerned with personal matters than her own guilt. I'll posit her as an early Oscar candidate. Kevin Kline gives a smart, subdued performance, making Stanton human if not sympathetic. Danny Huston's (John Adams) fiery prosecutor, Tom Wilkinson's (Valkyrie) principled Senator and Stephen Root's (The Men Who Stare at Goats) suspect witness steal their respective scenes. Evan Rachel Wood (Across the Universe) makes an impression as Surratt's sister, but Johnny Simmons and the other assassins don't really register. Alexis Bledel (Sin City) has a throwaway part as Aiken's love interest.

The Conspirator is an intelligent, well-executed courtroom drama. It does preach on occasion, but it also entertains and provides some food for thought.