The Conspirator
| The Conspirator | |
|---|---|
| Cinematography | Newton Thomas Sigel |
| Edited by | Craig McKay |
| Music by | Mark Isham |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Lionsgate Roadside Attractions (North America) Focus Features International (International)[1] |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 122 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $25 million[2] |
| Box office | $15.5 million |
The Conspirator is a 2010 American
The Conspirator premiered at the
Plot
On April 14, 1865, five days after the Civil War ends with Lee's surrender to Grant at
Secretary of War Edwin Stanton orders the arrest of all suspects, including Mary Surratt. Booth and David Herold manage to evade capture for some days, but Union soldiers find a barn where they suspect the conspirators are hiding and set it on fire. Herold surrenders while Booth is shot and killed by sergeant Boston Corbett when he sees Booth raising a rifle at the other soldiers.
Maryland Senator
Aiken visits Mary in her cell to question her. Mary asks Aiken to look in on her daughter, Anna. Aiken does so and searches the boarding house for clues. He finds a ticket with the initials "LJW" (Louis J. Weichmann). At the court, Weichmann, a seminary friend of Mary's son John, is the first witness. He describes John's meetings with Booth, and points out Herold, Powell, and Atzerodt as frequent guests in Mary's boarding house. Aiken incriminates Weichmann by making him appear as guilty as the rest of the conspirators.
Aiken again tries to stop defending Mary because he believes that she is guilty. He meets with her intending to get evidence of her guilt when she explains that John and the others conspired to kidnap Lincoln, not to kill him. They were about to attack a carriage but were stopped by Booth, who reported that Lincoln was elsewhere. She says that John left town and went into hiding two weeks before the assassination and that she has no idea where he is. Aiken asks Anna for information to help with his trial preparations, but she refuses.
At the court, Chief Prosecutor Joseph Holt brings the innkeeper John Lloyd to the stand. Lloyd claims that Mary gave him binoculars to give to Booth and told him to prepare shooting irons and whiskey for Booth and Herold on the night of the assassination. Aiken angers Lloyd by implying that he, an admitted alcoholic, was bribed with whiskey for his testimony. Lloyd is dragged out of the courtroom after he threatens Aiken.
Aiken arrives at the Century Club to attend a party and discovers that his membership has been revoked for defending Mary Surratt. This triggers an argument with Sarah, who disowns and leaves him. Aiken asks Anna to testify. Anna testifies that Mary had no part in the assassination of Lincoln and that it was her brother John who did. Anna visits Aiken at his house and tells him about Booth and John. Aiken then visits Father Jacob Walter, who has been attending to Mary, but he also insists he does not know where John is. Aiken asks Walter to deliver a message to John saying that his mother will hang for his crimes if he does not surrender. On July 6, Mary is found guilty on all charges and is at first sentenced to life in prison, but with Stanton's intervention, she is then sentenced to hang with Powell, Herold, and Atzerodt while Mudd, Arnold, O'Laughlen, and Spangler are given prison sentences. Aiken procures a writ of habeas corpus, signed by a reluctant Judge Andrew Wylie, for the release of Mary so that she can be tried in a civilian court, but President Johnson suspends the writ, and the four condemned prisoners are hanged.
Sixteen months later, Aiken visits John Surratt, who was captured abroad and is in jail. John thanks him for his kindness to his mother. Aiken offers him Mary's rosary, but he declines. The epilogue goes on to state that a year later, the
Cast
- James McAvoy as Captain Frederick Aiken, an idealistic young war hero who reluctantly defends Surratt and, in the process, comes to believe in her innocence
- Robin Wright as Mary Surratt, the only woman among the group charged with killing Lincoln
- Evan Rachel Wood as Anna Surratt, Mary Surratt's daughter
- Kevin Kline as Edwin Stanton, Secretary of War
- Tom Wilkinson as Reverdy Johnson, a former attorney general and current US Senator who is Aiken's mentor
- Alexis Bledel as Sarah Weston, Aiken's girlfriend
- Danny Huston as Brigadier General Joseph Holt, the prosecuting attorney[8]
- Stephen Root as John M. Lloyd, a principal witness for the prosecution[9]
- Louis Weichmann, a principal witness for the prosecution
- Justin Long as Nicholas Baker, Aiken's best friend, an injured Civil War veteran
- Johnny Simmons as John Surratt, Mary Surratt's son[10]
- Toby Kebbell as John Wilkes Booth, the man who assassinates Lincoln.
- Norman Reedus as Lewis Payne, the man who attempts to assassinate William H. Seward
- John Cullum as Andrew Wylie, a judge of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia who reluctantly signs Aiken's writ to retry Marry Surratt
- Marcus Hester as David Herold, one of the conspirators
- Colm Meaney as Major General David Hunter, president of the military commission that tries the conspirators
- Shea Whigham as Captain Cottingham, a witness for the defense
- William Hamilton, a friend of Aiken's
- Old Capitol Prison
- John Michael Weatherly as George Atzerodt, a conspirator
- Chris Bauer as Major Smith, a witness for the prosecution
- David Andrews as Father Walter, a Roman Catholic priest attending on Mrs. Surratt
- James Kirk Sparks as Edman Spangler, one of those charged with conspiracy
- John Curran as Major General Albion P. Howe, a member of the military commission
- Robert C. Treveiler as Major General Thomas Maley Harris, a member of the military commission
- Brian F. Durkin as a lieutenant
- Cullen Moss as Stanton's officer
- Jason Hatfield as Harry Hawk, the actor playing Asa Trenchard in Our American Cousin, the play being watched by the Lincolns
- Gerald Bestrom as Abraham Lincoln, the President who is assassinated in the beginning of the film. Bestrom, who does not speak, was a professional Lincoln lookalike who died in April 2012.[11]
- Marshall Canney as Mary Todd Lincoln, Lincoln's wife
- Andy Martin as Major Henry Rathbone, present in Lincoln's box during the assassination
- Dennis Clark as Andrew Johnson, Vice President and then 17th President
- Amy Tipton as Female Guest #2
- Glenn R. Wilder as William H. Seward, Secretary of State
- Brian Duffy as Frederick W. Seward, Seward's son
- Cal Johnson as Army Sergeant
- John Bankson as Alexander Gardner, the photographer of the executions
- Craig Crumpton as Major General Robert Sanford Foster, a member of the military commission
- John Deifer as Brigadier General James A. Ekin, a member of the military commission
- Ron Stafford as Benn Pitman, stenographer at the trial
- Jeremy Tuttle as Samuel Arnold, one of the conspirators
Production
The
Release
The Conspirator premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2010. A few days after its screening, the film was acquired by Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions for distribution.[12] The film was released theatrically on April 15, 2011.
Reception
Box office
The film performed poorly at the box office grossing only $3,506,602 during its opening weekend. After its initial run, the film grossed $11,538,204 domestically with a worldwide total of $15,478,800. Because the film had a budget of $25 million, the film is considered a box office flop despite the fact that its widest release was in 849 theaters.[2]
Critical reception
Upon its release, the film received a mixed reception from critics.
Critics have cited it as an analogy to the post-9/11 atmosphere.[15][16] Writing for Jacobin in 2015, Eileen Jones criticized the film for promoting the Lost Cause of the Confederacy.[17]
References
- ^ McClintock, Pamela (16 May 2010). "Sony snaps up 'Hanna'". Variety. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ a b "The Conspirator (2011)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ^ "Full cast and crew for 'The Conspirator'". IMDb. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
- ^ "Pics and Justin Long for Redford's Conspirator". NewsinFilm.com. 2009-10-16. Archived from the original on 2010-09-22. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
- ^ Evans, Ian (2010), "The Conspirator premiere photos - 35th Toronto International Film Festival", DigitalHit.com, retrieved 2012-04-10
- ^ Grabert, Jessica (June 1, 2011). "The Conspirator Comes To Blu-Ray And DVD With A Slew Of Historical Extras". CinemaBlend. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
- ^ Uno, Lori Taki (August 15, 2011). "New DVDs – 'Jane Eyre,' 'The Conspirator,' 'Hoodwinked Too!'". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
- ^ Justin Kroll (2009-10-27). "Danny Huston". Variety. Retrieved 2009-12-05.
- ^ Borys Kit (2009-11-16). "Stephen Root cast in two films". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 20, 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-05.
- ^ Justin Kroll (2009-11-10). "Johnny Simmons". Variety. Retrieved 2009-12-05.
- user-generated source]
- ^ Goldberg, Matt (September 15, 2010). "BEAUTIFUL BOY, THE CONSPIRATOR, SUBMARINE, and INSIDIOUS Find Distributors at Toronto International Film Festival". Collider.com. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
- CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 14, 2011.
- ^ "The Conspirator (2011)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ ‘The Conspirator’ is a Compelling Allegory
- ^ 'The Conspirator' is a post-9/11 message movie. Are you as tired of post-9/11 message movies as I am?
- ^ Jones, Eileen (Spring 2012). "The Cinematic Lost Cause". Jacobin. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
