Amistad

Rating ***/*****, or 7/10

Spielberg's testimonial against the nineteenth-century African slavery industry. On the slaver vessel La Amistad in 1839, a group of slaves revolted, after which the ship was steered towards the USA, where a lengthy string of courtroom sessions controlled the mutineers' fate. Spielberg unfortunately lets the courtroom scenes dominate the film too much, which makes for a rather static and lengthy view that often fails to compel its audience, but the flashback scenes that illustrate the deplorable suffering of Africans aboard slaver ships fully underscores the horrors they underwent and the issues at stake for the Amistad slaves, and feels like a fist punch in the face of viewers who might otherwise have fallen asleep. The various parties involved, including the Southern and Northern American states, the British Navy and the Spanish royalty provide for an historically intriguing but narratively chaotic overall plot line. Spielberg made this film with the best intentions, but it's obviously not as much his cup of tea as the Second World War or the Holocaust proved to be. The movie does include some powerful performances though, both by veteran actors the likes of Anthony Hopkins and Morgan Freeman, as well as relative newcomers Matthew McConaughey and Djimon Hounsou.

Starring: Morgan Freeman, Djimon Hounsou, Anthony Hopkins

Directed by Steven Spielberg

USA: Dreamworks SKG, 1997