eljer7

This movie reminded me of those films we used to watch at school. It's short, a little less than an hour (perfect for watching in class), and carries a message, though it doesn't knock you over the head with it. It's a nice, simple movie worth viewing, especially with elementary age children who are just the right age for the message it presents. It concerns a young Abe Lincoln who's currently employed building a hog pen for a local judge. References are made that Lincoln has been studying the law, but isn't quite a lawyer yet. A freed slave in the area finds Lincoln trapped under a tree he'd been chopping down and gets help for him. The slave then runs but is captured later by Luke, a local no-gooder who's at odds with Lincoln. The slave, Henry, claims he had papers proving his freedom, but lost them in the creek. Lincoln proposes to help him and takes Henry in. This angers Luke and sets in motion events that eventually lead to Lincoln representing his first client, Henry. The movie is full of character actors you'll swear you've seen somewhere before. Its well acted and entertaining. I recommend this for school age children and their parents. Its provides an opportunity to discuss the issues presented in the movie and entertains at the same time.

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. It turned out to be better than I expected. It comes across like a Lifetime movie (which is why my wife liked it). Those who rent this movie hoping for your typical exploitation "crazy mountain-man kidnaps innocent girl" movie will be disappointed. There is no nudity, a little adult language, and some mild violence.

What I liked about this movie is that it was better than it had to be. The "villain" actually had some depth to his character, as did the character played by Dan Hagerty. The acting by the female lead could have been better, but isn't so awful that it makes the film unwatchable. The scenes between the female and Dan Hagerty are nice and sometimes rather touching.

I recommend this movie for rising above its genre. Its nice these days to be pleased and suprised by a movie, rather than disappointed.