The Conspirator - Parents Movie Review

movie review rating guide for parents and families

MPAA Rating
PG-13

for some violent content

Genre
Drama - Epic and Historical

Director
Robert Redford

Starring
Robin Wright Penn, James McAvoy, Tom Wilkinson, Evan Rachel Wood, Kevin Kline

Studio
Roadside Attractions

Release Date/In Theaters
4/15/2011

Movie Summary

A mother is charged with a serious crime right after the assassination of President Lincoln. As the nation morns the president's death a young lawyer must defend her.

Movie Review for Parents

-by Ginger

Only a few days after the Civil War ended, the United States was shocked by the sudden murder of their beloved Abraham Lincoln. The nation was thirsty to accuse and to find the one who was responsible for this heinous crime. This sent the courts into a frenzy in order to find someone upon whom to place the blame. They were desperate to quench the nation’s thirst to find the accused, or at least someone upon whom to place the blame. Civil rights and the rules of justice were all but suspended in this dark time in American History. Innocent were hanged and the accused were brought to trial quickly in order to find a scapegoat for this crime against America.

The story centers on the story of Mary Surratt, the first woman to be hanged in the United States. Mary Surratt’s son, John, was in on the plot to kill Lincoln. Mary Surratt was tried and convicted of treason. On July 7, 1865, Mary Surratt was hanged. This movie has many redeeming historical qualities. It places the mood and fervor surrounding the Civil War in perspective. It brings a deeper understanding of the attitude and climate of the nation in the days following Lincoln’s death. From this standpoint, this parental guide to the movies not only gives this movie a thumbs up for its educational value, it is suggested that teens see this movie. This movie makes history come alive and presents the issues surrounding the days directly after the Civil War in living color. The historical facts were drawn from records contained in the National Archives and from other credible sources.

This movie tells it like it was and does not spare the violence that was a bloody part of American history. It does contain violent scenes that are based on actual occurrences. This is a chapter of American law that should not be forgotten by history so that it does not happen again. This parental guide to the movies suggests that you take your teens to see it, but leave the little ones at home. This movie is an excellent conversation starter with teens.