Booth

Author(s): Joshua

Location: NY

"Booth"

Written & Directed by Andrew Dominik
Produced by Dede Gardner & David Valdes
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Cinematography by Roger Deakins
Film Editing by Dylan Tichenor
Costume Design by Patricia Norris
Art Direction by John P. Goldsmith
Original Music by Carter Burwell
Rated PG-13: For Violence and Some Language

Main Cast

Ben Foster - John Wikes Booth
Paul Dano - Lewis Powell
Tate Donovan - George Atzerodt
Garret Dilahunt - Michael O'Laughlen
John Robinson - John Surratt
Justin Chatwin - David Herold
Damian Lewis - Samuel Arnold
Patricia Clarkson - Mary Surratt
Jackie Earle Haley - Dr. Samuel Mudd
John Terry - Abraham Lincoln
Bruce Davison - William H. Seward
Jon Don Baker - Andrew Johnson
Bonnie Johnson - Mary Todd Lincoln

Tagline: "Thus Always to Tyrants"

Synopsis: He was a member of the Booth family of actors. He too would grow up to become a talented stage actor. He would also grow up to become a confederate sympathizer during the Civil War that started in 1861. He would write in a journal. A journal that contained his deepest thoughts and determinations. This is the story of John Wilkes Booth. The man who would become the first person ever to assassinate a U.S. president.

By 1864, the war had shifted to the North. Booth was devising a plan by then. He needed the best men on his side to pull it off. Those men were George Atzerodt, Samuel Arnold, Michael O'Laughlin, David Herold, John Surratt, and Lewis Powell. Booth's plan was to kidnap president Abraham Lincoln and exchange him to the confederate army, but that will never happen. Lincoln never showed up to his destination, leaving Booth's confidence in a diffrent, more dark direction.

President Lincoln, Vice President Andrew Johnson, and Secretary of State William Seward. Booth believed that if those three men were killed, the Confederates will have the war in the palm of their hands. April 14, 1865 will be the day. The day that John Wilkes Booth makes history.

What the Press would say:

Andrew Dominik, the genius who brought you "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" delivers another masterpiece with "Booth". The story of the last years of the famous assassin John Wilkes Booth is told perfectly in this film that will stay with you until the Oscars.

Ben Foster gives an massive performance as John Wilkes Booth. "What an excellent chance i had, if I wished, to kill the president on Inauguration day", are words Booth wrote in his journal after attending Lincoln's second inauguration. The hatred and anger of this character is delivered so perfectly by Foster. He is playing a man that supported the confederates all the way. He also supported slavery, and when Lincoln annouced voting rights for blacks, Booth felt he had to do something to end it all, and he did. On April 14, 1865, Booth walked into Ford's Theatre where the president was locationed. Watching a play next to his wife, Lincoln was shot in the back of the head by Booth. Booth is then on the run. He travels by horse to Virginia and stays in a farm, where the 26 year old will be killed two weeks after the assassination.

Paul Dano and Jackie Earle Haley deserve recognition for their performances. Dano playing Lewis Powell, the one that Booth trusted. Powell was giving the task to kill Secretary of State William Seward, but serious events will prevent that task from being accomplished and Powell will be one of the convicted of the assassination of Lincoln. Haley plays the famous Dr. Samuel Mudd. Till this day, it is a mystery if Mudd was really part of the plot to kill the president. Haley deserves lots of praise as we see his character get to know John Wilkes Booth and later arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment. There are also some big names in great supporting roles, like Tate Donovan as George Atzerrodt, the man who was giving the task to kill VP Andrew Johnson, but later walked away from his mission. Patricia Clarkson, who jumps into the shoes of Mary Surratt. Mary opens her home for Booth and his clan. She never knew what they were planning in her own home. She is later arrested and sentenced the death penalty by hanging and pleads for her life all the way till the end. We also have respected near-cameos from John Terry as Lincoln, Bruce Davison as William Seward, and Jon Don Baker as Andrew Johnson.

Each scene delivers more than what we expected, it never dissatisfies, and the cinematography is beautifully delivered. The cast is great, but the true treasure is Ben Foster. Even when Foster's Booth is killed, we still get a few surprises. And in the end, with all of the convicted getting their verdicts, is even more of a satisfying shocker.

FYC
Best Picture
Best Director - Andrew Dominik
Best Actor - Ben Foster
Best Supporting Actor - Paul Dano
Best Supporting Actor - Jackie Earle Haley
Best Supporting Actress - Patricia Clarkson
Best Original Screenplay - Andrew Dominik
Best Crew
Best Cinematography
Best Costume Design
Best Art Direction
Best Film Editing
Best Casting Choice - Ben Foster
Best Original Score