Three historical notes.

The Civil War began this week on April 12, 1861. It ended April 9, 1865. President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated 146 years ago on April 14, 1865. The Conspirator is set at the end of the war and after the assassination of the President.

A little history first. It is critical to the set-up.

-- Local show times, theaters, trailer.

The U.S. Civil War was fought over state’s rights. A push to abolish slavery, tariffs and other economic issues set it off. Eleven states in the South claimed the Constitution was a loose agreement between states and they had the right to leave at any time. The states of the North and the federal government said no.

Lincoln was put in the unenviable position of holding the Union together when the 11 states, now calling themselves the Confederate States, seceded. War seemed the only solution when the South attacked the North at Fort Sumpter in South Carolina.

The classic description of the war is that it pitted brother against brother, family against family and neighbor against neighbor. Citizens of the most northern and southern states were sure of their positions. Border states such as Virginia, Maryland and Delaware had people on both sides of the issue. That unique mix of wills led to a lot of conflict and paranoia.

The nation’s Capitol is inside the border states.

No matter where you lie on the rights of states, the war is a blight on U.S. history. The bloody four-year war led to the deaths 620,000 soldiers and no one knows how many civilians were killed.

Lincoln was hated by many — if not most — of the citizens of the seceding states. A few days after the forces of the South surrendered, that hatred led to the President’s murder at Ford’s Theater by actor John Wilkes Booth.

After Lincoln’s assassination, the Reconstruction — for non-history buffs, the rebuild of the South that followed the war — and what some say was the suspension of civil liberties and due process for those deemed an enemy of the state, made the consequences of the war even be uglier.

Lincoln is said to have wanted a gentler handling of the reunification of the country. He also would likely not approved of how the trial of the people that murdered him was conducted.

History indicates that revenge didn’t appear to be his thing.

But that’s speculation and just one manifestation of the many thoughts generated from Robert Redford’s excellent new film, The Conspirator.

Booth was the mastermind behind the conspiracy to kill the president, Secretary of State William Seward and Vice President Andrew Johnson. Only Lincoln died. As far as we know, all of the conspirators were caught. Most were convicted and executed.

The assassination shook a nation already staggering and uncertain from four years of war. It also led to a cry for justice. Someone should pay for Lincoln’s death. Secretary of War Edwin Stanton made certain that those involved — even if marginally involved — were punished to the full extent of the law.

The film opens with the assassination and in the cauldron of controversy, and the paranoia and chaos that followed.

One of the accused was Mary Surratt. She ran the boarding house where Booth and his gang hatched the plot. Some think she was guilty of assisting with the plan. Others say her guilt is only by association and not via any real proof.

Now to the movie. There are two theories about Redford. He either doesn’t direct enough movies or he does just the right number because most are exceptional. I subscribe to the theory that if Redford did one each year, then we may not think he’s quite so good.

I cite the 2007 disaster Lions for Lambs as proof.

Redford’s films are gorgeous. The cinematography is precise, the editing perfect and the story unfolds at an unhurried, natural pace. It is what it is supposed to be.

Akin to Clint Eastwood, Redford also has the credentials to get the right actor for each part. Actors love appearing in his films. It gets their work positive notice.

The actors in The Conspiracy are Robin — formerly Wright Penn — Wright, James McAvoy, Danny Huston, Kevin Kline, Evan Rachel Wood, Colm Meany and other familiar and not-so-familiar faces offering outstanding supporting work.

Shot in dark tones and in smoky rooms, Redford examines Surratt’s dilemma from a number of angles and questions the “proof” that led to her trial. He wonders why she and her alleged conspirators were tried in a military rather than civil court. His conclusions are found in the performances of Kline, Huston and Meany.

Kline’s Stanton is absolute. He wants her found guilty at all cost. The public wants blood. Someone must pay. Huston’s prosecuting attorney is slime and will do anything necessary to meet Stanton’s goal. Meany’s trial judge makes sure the job gets finished and railroads the defendant and her co-conspirators.

Case closed. The nation moves forward.

Wright gives a riveting performance as the stoic Mary. Her power is with head-held-high, dignified silence and provides a good contrast to the intense, passionate protestations of McAvoy who plays her attorney. The villainy of Kline, Huston and Meany is superb.

Redford and screenwriter James D. Solomon take The Conspirator in half-a-dozen directions, all with deep moral implications. The message is a tad preachy. Not openly so but it is just beneath the surface. In an implied sense, Redford is relating these events to some of what is happening today to those accused of major crimes. To be more specific, those accused of terrorism are most likely the target.

Association is not proof. Nor is it guilt. Accusation is not proof. Media hype is not proof. Justice is served and freedom preserved only when individual rights and truth trump innuendo.

That said, a bit preachy or not, the message of The Conspirator is one that ought to be heard and one that should be imprinted on a free people. We are free because of the concept that we are innocent until proven guilty. Real proof is necessary to establish guilt and that we have a right to defend any accusation brought against us.

When those rights are suspended — as what seems to have happened to Mary Surratt more than a century ago — freedom ceases to exist.

Mr. Movie rating: 4 1/2 stars

Rated PG-13 for mature themes, violence. It's playing at the Carmike 12.

5 stars to 4 1/2 stars: Must see on the big screen

4 stars to 3 1/2 stars: Good film, see it if it's your type of movie.

3 stars to 2 1/2 stars: Wait until it comes out on video.

2 stars to 1 star: Don't bother.

0 stars: Speaks for itself.