On April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was shot in the back of the head by actor John Wilkes Booth. All of us know this. But do all of us know the aftermath, do we know about the chases and trials that ensued to put the American people’s minds at ease? Probably not many of us. Robert Redford directs the new drama The Conspirator, which depicts the trial of the first woman to be tried by a military tribunal. The Conspirator was definitely one of the best dramas I’ve seen in some time.

It opens to show a captain and one of his soldiers lying wounded on the battle field and the captain tells a joke to keep them both conscious. Right away we know that this is in the middle of the Civil War. Two years later, the captain is now a lawyer, attending a party in honor of the Union’s victory over the Confederacy. The veterans are reunited with their loved ones and everyone is happy. At the same time, a group of men led by John Wilkes Booth are attempting to murder the President, the Vice President, and the Secretary of State. The Vice President is stabbed and bludgeoned and the President gets shot. A mob of people watches hopelessly as Lincoln is carried away through the streets.

The storyline in The Conspirator follows Mary Surratt (Robin Wright), mother of John Surratt, as she is being held on trial for conspiring to assassinate the President. The young lawyer, Frederick Aiken (James McAvoy), is forced to defend her by his boss the former attorney general, who believes that everyone is innocent until proven guilty and deserves a fair trial no matter what. He’s stuck between his rock and a hard place, since he is already prejudiced and believes she is guilty, but he accepts the task of defending her. His dislike for Mary is apparent, but you could see the contrast between her and the other prisoners. Nevertheless, he does his job as her lawyer, trying to get her a real trial with a jury of her peers. There are moments of triumph for Aiken in the court, and there are moments of absurd and obvious favor-playing. Secretary of War Edwin Stanton (Kevin Kline) wants desperately to convict a Surratt of conspiracy to make the people feel closure over the death of the Lincoln, but since he can’t find John Surratt, the real criminal, he’ll stop at nothing to get his mother convicted.

The acting was excellent; only the very best actors were used. The acting came so naturally that it seems the roles were specifically written for them. James McAvoy (Wanted, Last King of Scotland) as Aiken was perfect. One of McAvoy’s talents includes his great accents. If you didn’t know beforehand that he was Scottish, you would have never guessed it because he conceals it so well. Robin Wright Penn (Forrest Gump, The Princess Bride) as Mary Surratt was a usual one. She again plays a headstrong woman who has been through some hardships. It looked like it was an easy role for her to play, but she played it well. Her portrayal of a mother who sacrificed herself for her son, the true criminal, is almost heartbreaking.Kevin Kline (Wild, Wild West) as the Secretary of War is just plain sinister. You want to not like him, you want him to lose. The actors playing smaller roles, such as the former Attorney General (Tom Wilkinson), Mary Surratt’s daughter Anna (Rachel Evan Wood), and would-be-assassin Lewis Powell (Norman Reedus) also tied the movie together with their small but good acting.

Academy Award-winning director Robert Redford’s (Ordinary People, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President’s Men) interpretation of the Conspirator Trials is riveting. It was like a very intense Law and Order episode. It really doesn’t matter if you’re into history or not because the story will intrigue you. Redford really showed his talent as a director with the subtle sight of blood in a basin, Lincoln’s long limp legs on his deathbed, and the frequent acts of violence against the Surratt family.

What really impressed me was that it was very historical accuracy, right down to the hissing in the courtroom. Many people think they know the story of Lincoln’s assassination, but little actually do. The Conspirator tells the real story of what happened in the trial and how the assassination plot came to be.

The Conspirator is first and foremost a drama, and is very serious. Some comic relief is provided by Aiken’s friend Nicholas (Justin Long), as he tries to liven up grave situations by telling jokes or encouraging others to get drunk. Besides that, the drama will almost certainly get to you. The conflict between mother and daughter is enough to make you tear up and I saw several people in the theater cry out in outrage at the movie. Overall, I loved this movie, plain and simple. This could easily be someone’s favorite movie. Just because it’s a historical movie, don’t think for a second that it’s going to be boring. The Conspirator is intriguing, exciting, and well made. I would gladly go it again, and you should, too.