This film is not as accomplished as the original, but addresses an important and deliberately overlooked aspect of modern history; that during the 1861 Civil War, the British and the Confederacy were conspiring to break North America into two parts.
The details of this British plan are not given, but reference to this plot is made, at least twice. The plot of the film is part based on a (fictitious?) letter from Queen Victoria to General Albert Pike providing a clue to a lost city of gold built by American Indians before European settlers arrived and placed the inverted, irregular and incomplete pentagram in the street plan of Washington DC. I believe Pike and Booth are shown together at the start of the film. In real life, Pike was wanted for treason for his role in Lincoln's assassination, and fled to Canada, and was later pardoned by a low ranking Freemason President who a year later was given all the degrees from 2 to 32 in one session! Pike was the top Freemason in the USA at the time.
The three main characters from the original film join up again, and travel to Europe and back to America, chasing clues, kidnapping Presidents, and there is some fun along the way. But not much.
This film is ridiculous at times, particularly at the end when someone dies when they don't have to.
But I would still recommend viewing it, simply for the number of times it makes reference to the British/Confederate plot to break the United States...something I never expected, or would expect from a film shown in many, many cinemas across the UK, which will undoubtedly be viewed by many in the next few weeks during half-term holidays. I hope they are interested enough to follow it up.
Everyone associated with this film should be congratulated for getting this very important story of modern history onto the silver screen, albeit in an indirect way.
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