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The Conspirator

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This article is about the 2010 historical drama film. For the 1944 spy thriller film, see The Conspirators.
The Conspirator
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRobert Redford
Written byJames D. Solomon
Produced byRobert Redford
Brian Falk
Bill Holderman
Greg Shapiro
Robert Stone
StarringJames McAvoy
Robin Wright
Justin Long
Evan Rachel Wood
Tom Wilkinson
Alexis Bledel
Kevin Kline
Jonathan Groff
Norman Reedus
CinematographyNewton Thomas Sigel
Edited byCraig McKay
Music byMark Isham
Production
companies
Distributed byLionsgate
Roadside Attractions
Release dates
  • September 11, 2010 (2010-09-11) (2010 TIFF)
  • April 15, 2011 (2011-04-15) (wide)
Running time
123 minutes[1]
CountryTemplate:Film US
LanguageEnglish
Budget$20 million

The Conspirator is a 2010 historical drama film directed by Robert Redford. It is the debut film of the American Film Company. The film tells the story of Mary Surratt, the only female co-conspirator charged in the Abraham Lincoln assassination and the first woman to be executed by the United States federal government. It stars Robin Wright, James McAvoy, Justin Long, Evan Rachel Wood, Jonathan Groff, Tom Wilkinson, Alexis Bledel, Kevin Kline, and Toby Kebbell.[2][3]

The Conspirator premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2010 and a special premiere screening took place on March 29, 2011 at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois. The US theatrical release is planned for April 15, 2011, the 146th anniversary of the death of President Lincoln. The film is scheduled to be released in Canada on April 29[citation needed] and the UK on July 1.[4]

Plot

In the wake of Abraham Lincoln's assassination, seven men and one woman are arrested and charged with conspiring to kill the President, Vice President, and Secretary of State. The lone woman charged, Mary Surratt (Wright) owns a boarding house where John Wilkes Booth (Toby Kebbell) and others met and planned the simultaneous attacks. Against the ominous back-drop of post-Civil War Washington, newly-minted lawyer, Frederick Aiken (McAvoy), a 28-year-old Union war-hero, reluctantly agrees to defend Surratt before a military tribunal. Aiken realizes his client may be innocent and that she is being used as bait and hostage in order to capture the only conspirator to have escaped a massive manhunt, her own son, John (Johnny Simmons). As the nation turns against her, Surratt is forced to rely on Aiken to uncover the truth and save her life. Aiken is at first very reluctant to take the case and believes his client is guilty. However, he uncovers evidence of her innocence and conducts a spirited defense. However, in the end Mary Surratt is found guilty and hanged.

Cast

Production

Principal photography began in October 2009, in Savannah, Georgia and wrapped in December 2009.

The Mary E. Surratt Boarding House still stands, and is located at 604 H Street NW in Washington, D.C. Mary Surratt's farmhouse in Clinton, Maryland, is now a museum. The town in which the farmhouse stands was originally called Surrattsville. The United States Post Office renamed the town Robeysville due to the notoriety of the Surratt name. In 1879, Robeysville was renamed Clinton.

Reception

The Conspirator has received mixed reviews from critics, with Metacritic giving the film a weighted average score of 55/100 based on 29 reviews.[8] Rotten Tomatoes reports that 55% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 89 reviews, with an average score of 6.2/10 and a consensus that, "The Conspirator is well cast and tells a worthy story, but many viewers will lack the patience for Redford's deliberate, stagebound approach." 64% of the site's 'top critics' gave the film a positive review with an average score of 6.8/10.[9]

Box Office

The Conspirator opened at #9, pulling in $3,924,000. [10]

References

  1. ^ "Synopsis and Overview". Fandango. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
  2. ^ Full cast and crew for 'The Conspirator' (2010). IMDb. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
  3. ^ "Pics and Justin Long for Redford's Conspirator". News in Film. 2009-10-16. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
  4. ^ "Release Dates for The Conspirator". The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
  5. ^ Justin Kroll (2009-11-10). "Johnny Simmons". Variety. Retrieved 2009-12-05.
  6. ^ Justin Kroll (2009-10-27). "Danny Huston". Variety. Retrieved 2009-12-05.
  7. ^ Borys Kit (2009-11-16). "Stephen Root cast in two films". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2009-12-05. [dead link‍]
  8. ^ "The Conspirator". Metacritic. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  9. ^ "The Conspirator Movie Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2011-04-14.
  10. ^ Mike Lee (2011-04-17). "Rio Revives Slow Box Office". We Got This Covered. Retrieved 2011-04-17. {{cite news}}: External link in |work= (help)


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