(Flash Review)Intrigued by how the 1930's may portrait Honest Abe, I gave this a shot. This is a fictional slice of life of Lincoln as an upstart lawyer as he attempts to defend two foolish boys accused of murder. Of course it shows Abe as a shining picture of morals as well as his crafty intelligence in the courtroom. A decent little flic from the 1930's with arguably more action than Lincoln from 2012.

This is a film that I don't have strong feelings one way or the other. Nothing stood out to make me think it was a terrific film, and it wasn't such a terrible movie where I dreaded every minute of it. There was some good camera work throughout, such as the tracking shot of Lincoln along the river, or some pan shots. I liked the high-key lighting, as this wasn't a film that needed any added suspense, so it was better to see everything and to not leave anything to the imagination. The plot itself was interesting enough, but I was not a fan of the use of sound. There always seemed to be non-diegetic music playing, which is common. I just think that the choice of music wasn't ideal, and that this was the type of film that could use more music during scenes with less dialogue, and less music when scenes were filled with dialogue. I liked that the characters were dressed very appropriately, and while the acting wasn't anything special, Henry Fonda did a good job in looking the part. The editing was fluid, and there was a large amount of dissolve cuts which were standard.

Young Mr. Lincoln may have been a telling of fictitious events but with Henry Fonda playing Lincoln and John Ford directing him it felt almost like the real deal. With brilliant writing and interesting characters brought to life we are granted an inside look into a side of one of our greatest presidents that we rarely get to see. Both comedy, suspense and emotion are blended together seamlessly in this courtroom setting that really immerses you into the story and lets you view a different side of history.

This film really threw me for a loop. First, I would like to make a comment about how the actor playing Abe Lincoln, Henry Fonda, really fit the image of Mr. Lincoln very well. He brought the character to life and carried the character the way that I feel Abraham Lincoln truly would have been. The rest of the acting was great, something that I find myself paying the most attention to when watching older films. Secondly, the plot was clearly thought out and unpredictable considering how I went into this movie blind, having never heard a single comment about it. Using the first 20 minutes or so to build up Lincoln's character before unveiling the focus of the film allowed for viewers such as myself to develop a liking for him and hope for his success. Without spoiling anything in the film, I would like to say that the conclusion was completely unexpected and left me kicking myself for not picking up on certain details, something that I haven't done yet watching the movies I have reviewed! Lastly, needless to say I'm very impressed by how well thought out this was and honestly wasn't expecting this when I sat down to watch it. Not to mention, it portrayed an important piece of Lincoln's life, something not taught in history classes, without being dry and sleep inducing. Being taught this tidbit of Abraham Lincoln's past through entertainment made a very likable man even more impressive.