Amistad (1997)

February 2, 2023 9:40 AM

In 1839, the slave ship Amistad set sail from Cuba to America. During the long trip, Cinque (Djimon Hounsou) leads the slaves in an unprecedented uprising. They are then held prisoner in Connecticut, and their release becomes the subject of heated debate. Freed slave Theodore Joadson (Morgan Freeman) wants Cinque and the others exonerated and recruits property lawyer Roger Baldwin (Matthew McConaughey) to help his case. Eventually, John Quincy Adams (Anthony Hopkins) also becomes an ally.

Also starring Nigel Hawthorne, David Paymer, Pete Postlethwaite, Stellan Skarsgård, Razaaq Adoti, Abu Bakaar Fofanah, Anna Paquin, Tomas Milian, Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Directed by Steven Spielberg. Written by David Franzoni. Cinematography by Janusz Kamiński. Score composed by John Williams.

78% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Several options to stream and many options to rent in the US. JustWatch listing.

posted by DirtyOldTown (2 comments total)

I remember this being OK, if a little too pleased at its own high-mindedness. Also, kind of a lot of characters for the running time, but that’s history movies for you.
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:19 PM on February 2, 2023 [3 favorites]

I agree with GenjiandProust. I would also add, Amistad suffers from the fact that Lincoln follows many of the same beats, which kind of diminishes each movie's impact in retrospect.
posted by Stuka at 9:16 PM on February 2, 2023 [1 favorite]