Speaking of conspirators...
I strongly recommend The Conspirator directed by Robert Redford.
Be sure to watch the credits through to the end.
I have no idea why this movie gets so many bad reviews.
I consider it top-notch, probably among my Top 25.
Maybe we humans cannot bring ourselves to admit
that humankind's first instinct is to pass judgement in anger.
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_conspirator/
It fared better on IMDb -- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0968264/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
And Roger Ebert gave it 3 stars, perhaps withholding the fourth because Redford refrained from vulgarity. http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-conspirator-2011
"Redford considers this material in an unusually literate and thoughtful historical film, working from years of research by his screenwriter, James Solomon. I found it absorbing and relevant today. It is useful to reflect that it isn't "her" constitutional rights that are being violated, but our own, because the Constitution must be seen to work equally for all or it loses its strength for everyone... Redford could have vulgarized this material. He and Wright certainly have the skills to make Mary Surratt a passionate, heroic victim. They choose not to. They require us to think our own way through the case and arrive at our own opinions, and that is the value of "The Conspirator." In most historical dramas, the opinions are already in and the conclusions already reached. Redford and his producers, the American Film Co. of the Ricketts family, show respect in their treatment of a little-known footnote to a well-known story. Well, was Mary Surratt a conspirator? I put the question point-blank to Redford recently, and he said he thought she must surely have known what her son was discussing with the others under her roof. But her guilt isn't the issue. The film is about the correct means of determining guilt — or innocence. If the Constitution says you can't do something, if it guarantees a due process, then it must be obeyed. All of this requires a lot of theory, a lot of philosophy and lot of dialogue. Those most interested in American history will probably find "The Conspirator" most valuable. Those who want a historical romance or a courtroom potboiler will be disappointed. You have to give credit to Redford, Wright and McAvoy, and the other filmmakers. Not many films this smart can be made."
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