The Conspirator | Eastern North Carolina Now

   Not only was Mary Surratt on trial, but so were those who would keep the law for the People of this nation preserved. The young advocate, skillfully portrayed by James McAvoy, not only strove to save the life of the accused, Mary Surratt, but the document that protects liberty universal in this "nation of laws, not of Men."

Daughter Anna Surratt, played by Evan Rachel Wood, absolved of any complicity in the conspiracy, is left to mind herself in her home, and clean up the glass as bricks are often hurled through family home / boarding house: Above.
   Attorney Aiken's determination to be true to the law that would free an innocent mother, and a venerable constitution that would keep a People free was the theme of this true tale of these saddening days. Somehow, the United States made it through this terrible process, but the scarring of a People, and mostly a Southern People, would take over a century to heal.

A weakened, but determined Mary Surratt, Robin Wright, who gave a heroic performance, is led to the gallows to be "hanged by the neck until dead."
   This film by Robert Redford told a true tale, of one man's attempt to do his part to save the life of a dutiful mother, and soul of a nation torn asunder, was a refreshing success, and should be duly noted. The success was not only told in the fine acting performances of this near-flawless ensemble cast, heretofore unmentioned (to name a few): Kevin Kline as Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, Danny Huston as U.S. Prosecutor Joseph Holt, Colm Meaney as tribunal chief, General David Hunter, and a personal favorite of mine, Stephen Root as the lying citizen for the prosecution John Lloyd.


   in addition to the fine acting, I was impressed by the ironic use of Savannah, Georgia as the locational swap with the District of Columbia. It worked remarkably well, including the use of Fort Pulaski on Tybee Island, Georgia, which was a fine replacement for the Washington Arsenal, where the co-conspirators were actually tried by the military tribunal, and hanged. The Symbiotic Publishing Company has done previous articles on both Savannah, Georgia and Tybee Island, Georgia.

   Rated PG13. Released on DVD August 16, 2011.