The Conspirator

Fine actors and an interesting topic, no doubt, but I found the execution to be very dry and academic and the emotional walls around the characters never quite came down. I felt educated but a bit less than invested.

Curious, that such a weathered and proven film guy like Redford can make something so uncinematic, something that oozes tv re-enactment. It proves once again it’s crazy hard to make a good movie and if a few pieces are out of place, the whole structure might collapse. It’s hard to tell which pieces exactly failed but maybe the stakes were just not high enough, even though they’re artificially raised by exaggeration and dramatization, to milk them for an engaging courtroom drama.

Lots of people found it stiff, but I think that's part of the "period" realism. In any case, I quite liked it. McAvoy and the rest of the cast were well chosen.

Feels like a TV movie, but still an interesting courtroom drama.

really moving story and fine actors seems to be dragged down by Redford's old style, TV movie alike direction. But I guess that stiff storytelling also suits with the period.

While I can appreciate the attempt to make a historically accurate film, I would also have appreciated the making of an interesting film. McAvoy is very convincing, but the rest of the cast let him down, and the exaggerated ads didn't help him either...

A stiff, and clunky, prelude leads to some very fine work from some wonderful actors (namely, James McAvoy, Kevin Kline, and [debatably], Robin Wright), and an examination of American ethics, and justice... It's not gonna be for everyone... (But, it sure wouldn't hurt for every American to watch it...)

Crackling historical drama which uses the aftermath of Lincoln's assassination to draw clever parallels with more contemporary issues (subtly the Kennedy assassinations, but more obviously the treatment of terrorists/suspected terrorists in the last ten years). Excellent performances from a well-chosen cast (McAvoy wonderful as usual, Kline excellent in a return to form, Wright appropriately dowdy) bring life to Redford's best film since QUIZ SHOW.

A handsome, thoughtful, and well-acted period drama with an important message. Nothing really wrong with it except that it is perhaps a little too tame. Needed more verve.

Fantastic film about a moment in history that I never really knew anything about. Glad it happened.

A military-tribunal drama, as opposed to a courtroom one, this is a valuable depiction of the assassination plot that succeeded in killing Lincoln, but missed its other targets. But it doesn't offer a lot to the viewer not particularly interested in historical drama that is not available in other, better films.

A film about the trial of Mary Surratt who was accused of being part of the conspiracy to kill President Abraham Lincoln. Robert Redford directed this courtroom drama. I thought that all the actors did a really great job in this movie. I really liked James McAvoy especially but Robin Wright was really good too as Surratt. I thought that Kevin Kline was an evil, evil man. The movie isn't always moving on all cylinders but it is quite intriguing and is a fun historical film.

This film should have been so much better than it was.

I’m theory, this should’ve worked really well. It’s got a good director, good actors, and a really interesting story to tell. Unfortunately there’s too little to be invested in. Yes, some of the antagonists are annoying, but that alone doesn’t drive the film. It felt like a typical court room drama mixed with a small history lesson, never rising above either.

It's like a history class. Is this stuff worth knowing? Yes. Is it still boring? Yes. The Conspirator offers a lot of introspection on the U.S.'s early history and offers a smart juxtaposition regarding how we prosecute modern day terrorists, but it is still a very boring film.

Utterly mediocre writing, with a lot of decidedly un-19th-century dialogue, that neither the director nor actors could sufficiently overcome. McAvoy and especially Robin Wright do as well as they can with the material and almost make something of their parts. (The chick that plays McAvoy's vapid girlfriend is particularly bad.) How nice to know the U.S. government's practice of abrogating people's civil rights for political expediency is such a longstanding tradition.

An interesting courtroom drama.

65.500

Neither is this film a hollow Hollywood construct, filled with sex and violence and foul language for the mere sake of "entertainment." As a history flick with meat on its bones, it stays true to the more genteel decorum of the day it depicts. And it leaves us to gnaw on the gristle and grit of what makes people do what they do, even when what they do goes down in history as the worst things possible. We may never know for sure whether Mary Surratt was guilty. (pluggedin.com)

Better than expected. Never really been a fan of Redford, but being a huge fan of the subject matter and the era, i decided to watch. Tho the pacing is off and tends to turn into a court drama once to often, it is still well enough constructed and acted to keep us watching , but could have been endlessly better

Redford's touch, merely instructive and well-informed, would fit some sort of Discovery Channel dramatization of the facts or some TV documentary about Surratt's trial, but feels completely dull to filmmaking. At least this one had a couple of good actors and two or three really nice scenes. Instantly forgettable.

Bit boring...

McAvoy's solid for the most part, but I couldn't help bashing myself over the head everytime I heard him say "But, how can I defend HER?!" Just do your damn job...

"The Conspirator is an über-genre movie, a hybrid of two classic Hollywood modes--the historical reenactment and the courtroom drama--that tries to satisfy the demands of both." - Paul Schrodt

Pretty good.

Redford himself seems to believe his own legend; he has joined his knuckle-headed, self-righteous progeny -- George Clooney, Sean Penn and Matt Damon -- by directing a film that is as dull as it is politically hip.

Less a movie than an extended re-enactment from a History Channel documentary, the movie is stagey, preachy, and long on exposition.

After the reading the reviews of the movie I wasnt expecting much from it. Overall the movie had an interesting story. The acting was at par at best. The movie doesnt have great direction. The only reason for the higher score was the topic of the story.

decent cast, nice setting and costumes. everything points to an enjoyable movie. but nah, its boring, unrevealing & pointless.

The Conspirator is a solid, effective courtroom drama with good acting, but it eschews historicity and realism in favor of a slick, streamlined Hollywood script, stagy delivery and glossy look. It could easily have been better and more memorable by straying from historical drama convention and trying to figure out how the events might really have transpired. Worthwhile anyway.

Average drama. Interesting to history buffs mainly.

i love the biography genre!

very good movie 10 out of 10

The film relies upon Wright, who has been playing excellent and mostly overlooked roles for years. She carries a down-to-earth, undemonstrative performance that never cries out for the audience's pity. Redford captures his characters through scenes coiled in fog, soil and cigar smolder, the better to evoke a nation clouded by angst and sorrow.