The Day Lincoln Was Shot (1998)

I love TNT's "The Day Lincoln Was Shot." Call me weird, but I watch it on VHS every Friday night. I'm a big history buff. I wish it was on DVD so I could watch it in my living room. My VCR is in my finished basement. Although there were a few minor historical errors, this movie was great. Lance Henrickson did a marvelous portrayal of Lincoln. If you took a black and white photo of Henrickson as Lincoln, most people would think it was actually Lincoln! It's too bad this wasn't a theater movie, because it would look great on the big screen, especially the theater scenes. When I watched this movie, I felt like I was really at Ford's Theatre the night Lincoln was shot. The first time I saw it, I nearly cried.The music gives the movie a sad feel, and those times were very sad. I wish they'd put it on TV every anniversary of the assassination, but I checked the online TNT schedule, and it was not on there. Maybe I missed it. Anyway, you should buy a used copy from Amazon.com. Although they are used , they are in mint condition. If you like Lincoln as much as I do, buy or rent this! It is a must see! Attention Teachers: I recommend this for classroom use, and it is a movie which your students may actually like!

An excellent portrayal of the circumstances surrounding the assassination of US President Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater in 1865. Rob Morrow provides an excellent portrayal of John Wilkes Booth and also provides us with an interesting insight as to the depth of patriotism, ill-feeling and desire for revenge that existed on the Confederate side during the Civil War. Lance Henriksen also provides an excellent portrayal of President Abraham Lincoln and his last days in the White House before the shooting and gives us an insight into his courage, his strong convictions and his determination to promote forgiveness over revenge. A strong supporting cast gives this movie additional credibility and it had me entranced from start to finish. A powerful and moving historical drama that I would highly recommend. My only criticism would be that it tends to place too much emphasis on some events and not enough on othersMy rating: 10 out of 10.

I really enjoyed this movie. What makes this movie so good is the great performance by Lance Henricksen. He truly is one of the greatest actors of all time. If you want to see him at his best see this movie. Lance Henricksen was born to play the role of Abraham Lincoln. I also recommend "Aliens", "Pumpkinhead", and "Hard Target" to see him at his best. I give this movie 10/10

Director John Gray, after his last two mediocre-at-best theatrical efforts "Born To Be Wild" and "The Glimmer Man", returns to his tv-directing roots with "The Day Lincoln Was Shot", a fascinating look at one of our country's most famous assassinations. When you watch a good movie, you usually go through the motions: suspense, awe, tragedy (or at least mild sadness), and hopefully in the process crack a smile or two. While no brilliant cinematic triumph, "The Day Lincoln Was Shot" more or less manages to achieve those basic standards, and nowadays, that's no easy feat. What helps it achieve that, though, are two vital factors that elude most modern Hollywood projects: great subject material and great casting. The material is obvious, and should be interesting to most anyone who has even the vaguest knowledge of American history. As for casting, "Millennium" star Lance Henriksen finally lands a fresh role as the Sixteenth President, and it's a startling discovery to find that Mr. Henriksen has been seemingly born with the precise facial mold of good ol' Honest Abe himself, and that it's taken so long for someone to notice! Just add beard, costume and viola! While still playing a dark role, there's a spark to Mr. Henriksen's Lincoln, that makes him alive and real, and more importantly, human. Rob Morrow is John Wilkes Booth, the actor gone bad, who, as we see here, is not just a cardboard borderline psychotic, rather, there's a method to his madness, a motive that fringes on being understandable that brings a freshness to the scenes Morrow steals; it's a relief to see him playing someone other than a smug yuppie trapped in our society. All in all, John Gray has been blessed with the gift of story-telling brevity, and we get a satisfying tv-viewing experience in one evening, not two or three or four, as is the growing tradition for TNT films...done sparingly, this is a treat for the audience.