The Conspirator preview/synopsis

In theaters now

Directed by Robert Redford ( Quiz Show, A River Runs Through It, Ordinary People ) Starring James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Evan Rachel Wood, Kevin Kline, Tom Wilkinson, Justin Long, Danny Huston, Stephen Root, Toby Kebell, James Badge Dale, Jim True-Frost. Written by Gregory Bernstein ( Trial & Error ) Cinematography by Newton Thomas Sigel ( Valkyrie, Three Kings ) Editing by Oscar nominee Craig McKay ( Silence Of The Lambs, Reds ) Original music by Mark Isham ( Quiz Show, Nell )

Premise: In the wake of Abraham Lincoln's assassination, seven men and one woman are arrested and charged with conspiring to kill the President, Vice President, and Secretary of State. The lone woman charged, Mary Surratt (Wright) owns a boarding house where John Wilkes Booth (Toby Kebbell) and others met and planned the simultaneous attacks. Against the ominous back-drop of post-Civil War Washington, newly-minted lawyer, Frederick Aiken (McAvoy), a 28-year-old Union war-hero, reluctantly agrees to defend Surratt before a military tribunal. Aiken realizes his client may be innocent and that she is being used as bait and hostage in order to capture the only conspirator to have escaped a massive manhunt, her own son, John (Johnny Simmons). As the nation turns against her, Surratt is forced to rely on Aiken to uncover the truth and save her life. Aiken is at first very reluctant to take the case and believes his client is guilty. However, he uncovers evidence of her innocence and conducts a spirited defense. However, in the end Mary Surratt is found guilty and hanged.

Rated PG-13 for some violent content. 123 min.

Oscar chances? Possibly a long shot, though I was impressed with several performances ( McAvoy and Wright most notably ) but the film hasn't bowled over the critics and there is little praise scuttlebutt regarding the movie.