By Amy Eisen, News Correspondent

While being president is a big deal, few could boast that movies are made about their lives almost 150 years after their death. Abraham Lincoln is one of these presidents, still remembered and beloved today. The new film “Lincoln” is a biopic war drama about President Lincoln and his fight to end both slavery and the Civil War, not through good politics, but through bribery and deceit.

The film is based on Doris Kearns Goodwin’s 2005 book, “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.” Upon hearing of Goodwin’s plans to write the book in 1999, director Steven Spielberg immediately sought the film rights, finalizing the deal in 2001. The film is scheduled for wide release tomorrow.

Lincoln is played by British actor Daniel Day-Lewis, who did an excellent job, even though he was the second choice behind Irishman Liam Neeson. Clearly, Spielberg was not concerned with casting an American to play one of the most iconic Americans ever. Day-Lewis was able to get into character immediately and remained so for the entire film. While his beard was on, he was Abraham Lincoln.

In two and a half hours, “Lincoln” spans the last four months of Lincoln’s life, during which he tirelessly fights to end the Civil War, be it through public military battle or private political racketeering. He also fights, even harder, it appears, to pass the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery.

Here Lincoln resorts to bribery and threats. He may have been the president of the United States, but Lincoln was not above using bribery and threats to accomplish what he believed was right. Watching Lincoln break the laws to fight for what he believes in is both entertaining and commendable. Slavery now is recognized as a horrific institution that never should have existed, but in the 1860s, it was permissible, and to many people, valid.

Obviously as Lincoln could not do the bribing himself, he delegated tasks to a group of three beer-drinking, shady peddlers who seem a touch out of place in the proper Washington, D.C. environment. This crew tried to change the vote of lame-duck congressmen with jobs and cash, resulting in chasing one down a field and raining cash on another. These political henchmen added humor to the film, and showed another side of 19th century politics.

The film itself is less a traditional biopic than it is a political thriller. The plot is orchestrated, using actual events, to be the most entertaining it can be. There is a strong sense of division and hatred in the Union, with many Democrats referring to Lincoln as a dictator. He does, of course, have his supporters, people that follow everything he says. The tense political environment adds to the excitement, and keeps it from being too much like a documentary.

One of the best features of the film is the dialogue. Lincoln is constantly speaking, whether his colleagues are happy to listen to him or not. Day-Lewis’ slow drawl is different than the expected booming baritone many people attribute to Abraham Lincoln, but it works in the film. Lincoln shares stories, recites proverbs, and often speaks in a confounding and abstract manner.

For an uneducated farmer’s boy from Kentucky, Lincoln really was an impressive reader, gaining a masterly knowledge of a number of topics from Euclid’s theories to the American Revolution.

It was interesting to see the other side of the president, the father and husband. Lincoln and his wife Mary Todd, played by Sally Field, had a less than perfect relationship. Mary suffered from migraines and was thought to be bipolar, which put additional stress on the much-occupied president. Still, Lincoln and his wife always stood by each other and it was enjoyable to see her sharp-talk the congressmen while her husband watched with a smile.

Lincoln also had two sons, with a third son who died as an infant serving as a painful memory. Lincoln cherishes his younger son, who is a cute addition to a serious film, constantly dressing up in military outfits. There is some drama, however, with his older son Robby, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who wanted to quit college and join the army.

Of course, the highlight with any late 19th century film is the variety of facial hair. There are so many different types of beards on display, as well as highly unusual hair shape, color, volume and parting.

While lengthy biographical political dramas are not everyone’s forte, “Lincoln” is a well-made and entertaining film that reveals a different side of Abraham Lincoln’s story. The sharp dialogue and extreme emotional impact make for a good watch for all. Two and a half hours of Abraham Lincoln is definitely enough to remind everyone of the power of democracy.