Review
One Bullet killed the President-but not one man.
The Conspirator tells the story of the aftermath of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln the 16th President of the USA.
After the assasination a manhunt is started immediately. Seven men and one woman, Mary Surratt, are arrested and charged for conspiring.
Frederick Aiken (James McAvoy), a 28-year-old Union war-hero, reluctantly agrees to defend Surratt before a military tribunal. Aiken realizes his client may be innocent, but she is being used as bait and hostage to capture the only conspirator to have escaped a massive manhunt – her own son, John (Johnny Simmons).
It seems like the trial is really more of a formality on the path to Surratt’s execution, with Secretary of War Edwin Stanton (Kevin Kline) working in collusion with the prosecuting attorney, Joseph Holt (Danny Huston), and the military tribunal of judges to ensure that Surratt is found guilty and the nation’s bloodlust for revenge is satisfied.
With the help of Mary's daughter Anna (Evan Rachel Wood), Aiken sets out to prove the tribunal of Mary's innocence despite his personal beliefs to the contrary.
The Film shows that a mother would go to any length to protect her son.
I recommend this film to anyone that can appreciate a good drama.
