DVD Reviews

The Conspirator

• Rating:
• Director: Robert Redford
• Starring: James McEvoy
• Details: US / 122mins (12A).

The Conspirator continues Redford's liberal agenda of Lions For Lambs but where that drama was a healthy debate on the war on terror, with the winner being Redford's point of view (of course), his new film can come across as nothing more than a lecture. Of what? That everyone - no matter what they're accused of - deserves a fair trial. The strong performances from all concerned help overcome the preachy tone.
As the American Civil War winds down, Senator Reverdy Johnson (Wilkinson) hires war veteran Frederick Aitken (McEvoy) to defend Mary Surrat's (Wright) part in the conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. Mother of one of the accused, Surrat runs a boarding house, which was frequented by Lincoln's assassinator John Wilkes Booth (Toby Kebbell). Caught up in the nation's rage at first, the more Aitken delves into the case the more he fears there is a conspiracy to hang it on Surrat and his attempts to do his job are hampered at every turn by the prosecution (Danny Huston), in cahoots with General Hunter (Colm Meaney) and Secretary Of War Stanton (Kline).
Do serial killers, rapists and paedophiles deserve a fair trial? How about those behind 9/11? The Conspirator is for those who answer 'no' to these questions, and Redford spends one-hundred-and-twenty-two minutes telling them why. "She's entitled to a defence" and "In our grief let us not partake in an inquisition," are just some of the many quotes that ape the post 9/11 witch hunt and the unconstitutional incarceration, and their treatment, of suspects at Guantanamo Bay. Surrat is forced into solitary confinement and goes on hunger strike, the conspirators are manacled and hooded as they enter court - all that's missing is the waterboarding and the orange jumpsuits.
In these days of 'someone better shoot someone/blow something up or I'm outta here', courtroom dramas are not in vogue and Redford seems to be aware that his film is a series of long scenes of men standing and talking. To this end, he injects some short flashback scenes in the run up to the assassination, but these Poirot-like interruptions oddly halt the little momentum the picture had. Redford has his cast to thank for bringing the very talkie script to life. McEvoy takes another step to superstardom with another solid turn and Wright, who has always been very picky with her roles, is elegant. The support cast aren't too shabby either: there isn't enough of Kline, Wilkinson and Evan Rachel Wood (playing Wright's daughter) but when called upon they deliver.
Slow, yes, but rarely dull, The Conspirator works best if the viewer knows little about the case and its outcome.

Review by Gavin Burke