ABRAHAM LINCOLN VAMPIR HUNTER
Abraham
Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is a 2012 American dark fantasy action film directed by Timur Bekmambetov, based on the
2010 mashup novel of the same name. The novel's author, Seth Grahame-Smith,
wrote the screenplay with Simon Kinberg. Benjamin Walker stars as the title character with
supporting roles by Dominic Cooper, Anthony Mackie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rufus Sewell, and Marton Csokas. The real-life figure Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President
of the United States (1861–1865),
is portrayed in the novel and the film as having a secret identity as a vampire hunter.
The film was produced by Tim Burton, Bekmambetov and Jim Lemley. Filming began in Louisiana in March 2011 and the
film was released in 3D on June 20, 2012 in the United Kingdom
and June 22, 2012 in the United States. The movie received mixed reviews,
praising the action sequences and originality, but criticized for its lack of
story and pacing.
PLOT
In 1818, Abraham Lincoln (Benjamin Walker)
lives in Indiana with his parents,Nancy (Robin McLeavy) and Thomas (Joseph Mawle), who works at aplantation owned by Jack Barts (Marton Csokas). There, Lincoln befriends a young African American boy, William Johnson (Anthony Mackie), and intervenes when he sees Johnson being
beaten by a slaver. Because of his son's actions, Thomas is fired. That night,
Lincoln sees Barts break into his house and attack his mother. Nancy falls ill
the following day, and dies shortly afterwards. Thomas tells Lincoln that Barts
poisoned her.
Nineteen years later, a vengeful Lincoln attacks Barts at the docks, but
Barts, who is actually a vampire,
overpowers him. However, before Barts can kill him, Lincoln is rescued by Henry
Sturges (Dominic Cooper). Sturges explains that
vampires exist, and offers to teach Lincoln to be a vampire hunter. Lincoln
accepts and, after a decade of training, travels to Springfield, Illinois.
During his training, Sturges tells Lincoln that the vampires in America descend
from Adam (Rufus Sewell), a vampire who owns a
plantation in New Orleans with
his sister, Vadoma (Erin Wasson). Sturges also tells Lincoln
of the vampires' weakness, silver,
and presents him with a silver pocket watch.
In Springfield, Lincoln befriends shopkeeper Joshua Speed (Jimmi Simpson), and meets Mary Todd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead).
Though Sturges warned him not to form any close relationships, Lincoln develops
romantic feelings for Mary.
Lincoln successfully finds and defeats Barts. Before dying, Barts
reveals that Sturges is also a vampire. Lincoln confronts Sturges, who reveals
that, centuries ago, he was attacked and bitten by Adam. Because Sturges' soul
was impure, he became a vampire, and that prevented him from harming Adam or
any other vampire (since "Only the living can kill the dead").
Sturges has since been training vampire hunters, hoping to destroy Adam.
Disappointed, Lincoln decides to abandon his mission. However, Adam
learns of his activities and kidnaps Johnson to lure Lincoln into a trap at his
plantation. Adam captures Lincoln and tries to recruit him, revealing his plans
to turn the United States into a nation of the undead. Speed rescues his
friends, and they escape to Ohio.
Lincoln marries Mary and begins his political career, campaigning to
abolish slavery. Sturges warns Lincoln that the slave trade keeps vampires
under control, as vampires use slaves for food, and if Lincoln interferes, the
vampires will retaliate. After Lincoln's election as President of the
United States of America, he moves to the White House with
Mary, where they have a son, William Wallace Lincoln (Cameron M. Brown). However, tragedy
strikes when William is later bitten by a disguised Vadoma and dies.
Confederate President Jefferson Davis (John Rothman) convinces Adam to deploy his vampires on the
front lines, and their appearance on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg
terrorizes the Union Army as their weapons prove ineffective on them.
Lincoln orders the confiscation of all the silverware in the area and
has it melted to produce silver weapons. Speed, believing that Lincoln is
tearing the nation apart, defects and informs Adam that Lincoln will transport
the silver by train.
On the train, Adam and Vadoma, who have set fire to the upcoming trestle,
attack Lincoln, Sturges, and Johnson. During the fight Adam learns that the
train holds only rocks, not the silver. Speed then reveals that his betrayal
was a ruse planned by him and Lincoln to lure Adam into a trap, and Adam kills
Speed for this. The bridge begins to collapse, and Lincoln, with Johnson make
an escape.
Lincoln then uses his silver watch to stab Adam, killing him, and the
three escape the train before it explodes. Meanwhile, Mary and the ex-slaves
have transported the silver to Gettysburg through the Underground Railroad.
There, Mary spots Vadoma and kills her, avenging William's death. The now
leaderless Confederate vampires stage a final, massive assaultand are met head on by the Union. Armed with their
silver weapons, the Union Infantry destroy the vampires and eventually win the
war.
Nearly two years later, on April 14, 1865,
Sturges tells Lincoln that the remaining vampires have fled the country.
Sturges tries to convince Lincoln to allow him to turn Lincoln into a vampire,
so that he can become immortal and continue to fight vampires, but Lincoln
declines before going to the theater with his wife, assuming John Wilkes Booth will
shoot him. In modern times, Sturges approaches an unknown man at a bar in Washington, D.C., as he hopes that the man will become the
next vampire hunter.
