Trial by Fury
When it comes to certain actors who turn directors, it’s often easy to find where their strengths lie regarding their skills in front of or behind the camera. For instance, while Clint Eastwood was introduced to audiences as an actor, his hand is much more versatile as a director behind the scenes. On the other hand, while Kevin Costner is always able to apply his likable, everyguy charm in the roles he plays, his films are generally a mess in storytelling and compelling drama. In the case of Robert Redford, I tend to feel rather split. I’ve seen Redford give incredible performances, but I’ve also seen him phone it in. I’ve also seen him directing material with passion and incredible detail, and I’ve also seen him trip over the overbearing messages of the material and create a vacuum of dreary dullness. The Conspirator happens to have a mix of the two styles that Redford indulges in, but in the end, I rather enjoyed it as a pulpy court-room drama with a heavy handed social commentary.
The film begins immediately with the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, and everyone knows the story of the lone gunman John Wilkes Booth that was later killed in the burning barn. What some may not know is the conspiracy that included up to eight other people, including a woman, Mary Surratt (Robin Wright). James McAvoy is the Union attorney who battles his own conscience when the government assigns him to defend her in the railroaded military tribunal.
The film paints some very broad strokes in its portrait of an overzealous government unjustly treating individuals accused of heinous crimes and not giving them a fair trial. It’s pretty obvious of the modern day connections of the war on terror that is being communicated. However, even under the veil of propaganda, the core of the film is a tightly wound courtroom drama, and as such, I found it riveting. Redford manages to capture the tension quite well in those scenes, and I’d even argue that his attention to historical detail is impressive in a lot of areas. Redford does falter in some places when he let’s the political grandstanding get too large, the story to drag on about fifteen minutes too long and the action to get repetitive and dull, but on the whole I think he succeeds at keeping the interest in the material.
McAvoy has been doing solid work for a long time now, and here he carries the lead quite well. He sells the determination of the character well enough and does a nice job of embodying that attorney that is so recognizable in these films. Wright is also good in her role that sometimes plays for theatrics but always feels grounded considering the circumstances. There’s also some nice performances from some bit players like Tom Wilkinson as the Southern senator leading the defense, Danny Huston as the over zealous government prosecutor and Kevin Kline as the cold hearted Secretary of War. However, some of the younger cast members like Justin Long, Evan Rachel Wood and Alexis Bledel feel a bit too modern in the backdrop of the era, and do end up distracting in the end.
The film does have some some flaws in the storytelling and the performances, but taken as an entertaining court room drama, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The major players give some good performances, and Redford’s direction of the material shows a dedication to the craft of the time period as well as an engaging and thought-provoking side of the legal battles. I don’t know if this film sells me on me preferring Redford as director or actor, but it’s certainly one that makes me not mind him taking a few more steps behind the camera.
B
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