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James Garfield has not gone down in history as one of our most memorable American presidents<\/a>. In fact, he’s more of a footnote in a string of bizarre post-Civil War one-termers and political assassinations. But its a testament to Michael Shannon’s gripping lead performance that he becomes an utterly captivating figure in “Death by Lightning,” Netflix’s latest bid for an HBO-style period drama<\/a>. A savvy and well-paced political thunderstorm, “Death by Lightning” uses its talented cast to build a thrilling story out of an oft-forgotten moment in history.<\/p>\n In the wake of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, the nation is struggling to find its footing. President Grant is a beloved war hero, but his reign has been an undeniably corrupt one which blatantly rewarded donors with lofty political positions. When Senator James Garfield (Michael Shannon), an intelligent and compassionate farmer from Ohio, is called upon to make a speech at the Republican National Convention in support of Grant’s political opponent for the presidential nomination, he’s only too happy to oblige. But he ends up in well over his head when his passionate rhetoric wins over the delegates a little more than he had anticipated, leading them to throw their support behind him as a compromise candidate.<\/p>\n At the same time, Charles J. Guiteau (Matthew Macfadyen) is at a crossroads. Mentally unstable and chronically underemployed, he moves in with his sister with hopes of getting a newspaper off the ground. But when his impulsive mind turns to politics, he commits himself to getting Garfield elected, attempting to ingratiate himself to the party elite. And when he doesn’t get the respect from them that he believes he deserves, he winds up going down a path from which there is no return.<\/p>\n Read more: 10 Awful Movie Adaptations That Should Have Never Happened<\/a><\/p>\nGarfield vs. Guiteau<\/h2>\n