Timur Bekmambetov’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter wants to be a monster movie, a war epic, and a biopic all at once. It fails at all three.
Based on Seth Grahame-Smith’s novel, the film recasts America’s 16th president as a lifelong vampire hunter. Benjamin Walker plays Lincoln, Dominic Cooper plays Henry Sturgess, Anthony Mackie plays William Johnson, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays Mary Todd. The story spans decades, from Lincoln’s childhood in Indiana to his presidency during the Civil War.
Trailer, via 20th Century Studios.
The Setup
The film opens in 1818. Lincoln lives with his parents, Nancy and Thomas, on a plantation owned by Jack Barts. Lincoln befriends William Johnson, an enslaved boy, and steps in when Johnson is beaten by a slaver. The family is fired as punishment. That night, Lincoln watches Barts break into their home and attack Nancy, who dies the next day.
Nine years later, Lincoln tries to kill Barts at the docks. He discovers Barts is a vampire and is saved by Sturgess, a man Lincoln met earlier at a bar. Sturgess teaches Lincoln to hunt using a single-edged felling axe, and after a decade of training, they arrive in Springfield, Illinois.
The Big Picture
Sturgess explains that all American vampires descend from Adam, a powerful vampire who runs a plantation in New Orleans with his sister, Vadoma. Their weakness is silver, and Sturgess gives Lincoln a silver pocket watch.
In Springfield, Lincoln hunts vampires named in letters from Sturgess. He befriends shopkeeper Joshua Speed and meets Mary Todd. Sturgess warns Lincoln against forming close relationships, since loved ones become targets. Lincoln ignores the warning and falls for Mary.
The Betrayal
Lincoln finally tracks down Barts and kills him. But not before learning Sturgess is also a vampire. Sturgess admits Adam turned him and killed his wife, whose soul was pure while Sturgess’s was not. Vampires cannot kill each other, so Sturgess needs hunters like Lincoln to settle scores.
Feeling betrayed, Lincoln abandons his mission. His actions draw Adam’s attention. Adam kidnaps John and lures Lincoln to his plantation in the South.
The Tone Problem
The film’s biggest flaw is its tone. It wants to be a grim, serious thriller about slavery and revenge, but it keeps dipping into camp. The vampires are absurdly overpowered, the action scenes are cartoonish, and the dialogue is often delivered with a straight face that doesn’t match the material.
“Are you a patriot or a vampire?”
That tagline sums up the problem. It’s a joke, but the film treats it as a rallying cry.
The Cast
Walker carries the film with a performance that shifts from awkward youth to weary statesman. Cooper plays Sturgess as a charming mentor who turns out to be a monster. Mackie’s William Johnson gets less screen time than he deserves. Winstead’s Mary Todd is reduced to a love interest rather than a partner.
Rufus Sewell plays Adam as a chilling villain, and Marton Csokas plays Jack Barts as a slimy opportunist. John Rothman shows up as Jefferson Davis, and Jimmi Simpson plays Joshua Speed.
The Technical Stuff
Henry Jackman composed the score. The production companies were Bazelevs Company, Dune Entertainment, and Tim Burton Productions. The film was released on June 20, 2012, in the United Kingdom, followed two days later by the United States, through 20th Century Fox.
The Numbers
The film earned $116 million worldwide against a budget of $69-$99 million. That’s a miss. Critics praised the visual style but panned the tone, calling it too serious and inconsistent.
Our Call
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is a mess. It has a clever premise and a committed lead performance, but it can’t decide what kind of movie it wants to be. The action is silly, the stakes are hollow, and the slavery angle feels like a marketing hook rather than a moral center.
It’s a film that wants to shock and entertain, but it shocks without conviction and entertains without charm.
4.2 out of 10.
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