The Last Movie I Saw

I started seeing ads for The Conspirator, Robert Redford's new movie, just a couple of days before I had an opportunity to see it. I also managed to see a couple of reviews (though non from mainstream sources), and between the advertising and those few critical comments I wonder if anyone really got what this movie is about. The reviews I read seemed overly concerned with trying to figure out if Redford's story was more sympathetic to the North or the South, and the ads made it appear to be some kind of mystery-thriller. After watching it though, it seems like none of that is the least bit relevant to the filmmakers intentions (though superficially they are suggested by elements of the plot). This is pretty clearly intended as an allegorical critique of the use of military tribunals, as in the case of those incarcerated at Guantanamo Bay, and the obvious threat posed by stripping individuals of their rights when accused of criminal behavior. The film falls well short of making the case one way or the other about the guilt of purported subject Mary Surratt, and it's fair to say that virtually all the characters, regardless of their wartime sympathies, come across as either deluded fanatics or ruthless opportunists. In fact, it's almost essential to Redford's thesis that Surratt come across as compromised as everyone else, the better to throw the principle of systemic virtue into stark relief against the lesser concept of individual virtue. It's a compelling idea, and I wish that the movie was up to the challenge it sets for itself. Unfortunately, it comes across as overly melodramatic, and never really captures the gut the same way that it does the brain. I know that Redford can pull that kind of combination off-- he did exactly that in his film Quiz Show, which similarly dealt with moral conflicts and institutional corruption. There are several strong performances in The Conspirator that make it worth seeing, but it would appear that, given the responses noted above (including it's own marketing campaign-- check out the poster above), it is not likely to prompt the kind of debate over current affairs it seems to want to spark.