Amistad Movie Review

Set in 1839, this film celebrates the holy grail of freedom. It highlights how the quest for justice is supported by the spirits of ancestors and a yearning for home. A group of Africans take over a Spanish slave ship bound for America. They are eventually captured and put in a New Haven, Connecticut, prison. Read more in this Amstad Movie Review.

Synopsis

The two zealous abolitionists are Lewis Tappan (Stellan Skarsgard) and Theodore Joadson (Morgan Freeman). They both take up their cause by hiring a real estate attorney, Roger Baldwin (Matthew McConaughey). Baldwin is convinced that he has the key to set them free. But powerful forces are lined up against him. These include a judge handpicked by the pro-slavery President Martin Van Buren (Nigel Hawthorne). The case eventually goes all the way to the Supreme Court. There former President John Quincy Adams (Anthony Hopkins) is inspired by the moral stature of an African named Cinque (Djimon Hounsou). Adams makes a stirring defense of freedom as the linchpin of the American way of life.

Review

Steven Spielberg’s direction draws out all the moral nuances in this searing drama. He exposes the invidious evil of racism and the waywardness of politics tainted by greed and face-saving. Amistad presents a mesmerising portrait of human dignity under fire and salutes the spiritual firepower of justice.

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