Set in the chaotic moment in history directly following President Lincoln’s assassination this is the story of a mother charged with committing the monumental crime, and the lawyer who reluctantly becomes her defense attorney. The Civil War has ended, and upon returning home, Union War hero Frederick Aiken endeavors to enter the world of politics.
A high-society ball provides him with the opportunity to meet Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, but history intervenes when John Wilkes Booth fires the fateful bullet that kills Lincoln. A massive manhunt for Booth’s collaborators commences, leading lawmen to Confederate sympathizer Mary Surratt, whose son John has become a prime suspect, yet remains out of reach. Former attorney general Reverdy Johnson persuades Aiken to act as Mrs. Surratt’s defense lawyer, as the pressure turns up on John to give himself up, and save his mother from paying for his crime in the gallows. Director: Robert Redford. Cast: Robin Wright, James McAvoy, Tom Wilkinson, Evan Rachel Wood, Kevin Kline. Rated: PG-13. Time: 2:03.