The Conspirator (2010)

'Dull' has been a word commonly used to describe this movie by reviewers. Others are kinder--'uninspired' is th eword they used. I, on the other hand, enjoyed it (leaving me feeling that perhaps I too am dull and uninspired!).
It is an historical drama, and it is more like something the BBC would do than what typically comes out of Hollywood. There are no daring escapades, the main character may in fact be guilty of the crime she is accused of, and it has a decidedly unhappy ending, no matter which side you are on.
Its theme is the rule of law in the aftermath of a national tragedy, in this case the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The basic ethical and political problems are laid out as neatly as the chapter headings in a civics textbook. The murder of the president — and simultaneous, coordinated attempts on the lives of Vice President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William H. Seward — throws Washington into panic. After John Wilkes Booth is killed in a shootout with soldiers, his fellow plotters are arrested and tried, not by a jury of their peers but by a committee of officers. Among those on trial is Mary Surratt (Robin Wright), a widow whose boarding house was a meeting place for the conspirators and whose son John (Johnny Simmons) appears to have been one of their number.
On trial for her life, Mary is defended by Frederick Aiken (James McAvoy), a decommissioned captain in the Union Army. An ambitious young lawyer, Aiken is initially reluctant to be the advocate of a suspected traitor, but he is cajoled into taking the assignment by Reverdy Johnson (Tom Wilkinson), a powerful Democratic senator from Maryland. And as he becomes acquainted with Mary and her daughter, Anna (Evan Rachel Wood), Aiken becomes passionately dedicated to proving Mary’s innocence, or at least saving her life. Which is quite a challenge, because the trial is manipulated from the beginning. The key question is: Is this justice or is this revenge? What would Lincoln do? Would he want the basic rights afforded all defendents to be subverted? Is that the country he died for?
There is a subtle knife at work here, because many of these issues are indeed contemporary. The actors in this are excellent, and the historical context that asks a question that is pertinent today is appealing to me. Call me dull :-)