Watch Amistad For Free

Sadly Over-hyped

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Amistad is a film about the 1839 mutiny that a bunch of slaves held whilst on board a ship that was heading from Havana to the northeast coast of America. The slaves hold a mutiny, but are subsequently captured and the slaves are sentenced to death for their crimes. The Spanish make the claim that the slaves belong to them and that they are legally their property, but the likes of lawyer Roger Baldwin (Matthew McConaughey), feels that there may be some holes in their argument and is determined that the slaves get the fair trial that they deserve.I always take films based on historical events with a pinch of salt as it's very rare that you'll come across one that is 100% truthful (I understand that 'artistic licence' comes into play quite a lot). If I am unfamiliar with the history involved with a film then I tend to ask myself one question; what effect did it have on me overall? Clearly with a score of 7 out of 10 I was fairly impressed...Spielberg doesn't hold back here and goes out of his way to make sure that we witness and feel the pain endured by the slaves; there are several moments in this film that are brutal and tough to watch. Many of the courtroom scenes are excellent as well, but this is mainly due to the many talented actors that were brought together here. Although the subject matter is treated seriously here, screenwriter Franzoni does inject some humorous moments into the film from time to time which I always feel is a nice touch. McConaughey is a Lawyer in this film, but he also has to turn detective here to try to learn more about those that he's representing and again this aspect of the story is engaging and quite amusing and complements the courtroom side of things well.Impressive production values and a good screenplay are nothing without the actors and what a cast we have here; Hopkins, Freeman, McConaughey and Hounsou were all superb here and really brought the story to life. If I was to single anyone out for praise it would be Hopkins who I think is one of the best actors around. Hounsou comes in a very close second and I personally think that he's one of the most underrated actors in the business - his performance here and in Blood Diamond is powerful and convincing.Casting a critical eye over this then there were a few things that bothered me; firstly I felt that the scene in the middle of the film where we essentially witness how the slaves were captured could have been used to start the film and then we could have just moved on to the mutiny after they leave Havana. It seemed odd to me that we had a long introduction at the start to set-up the Mutiny only to then have elements of it re-hashed later in the film. Combining the two elements at the start with some editing would have improved the overall structure of the film and would undoubtedly have reduced the rather generous running time. Secondly, when Baldwin needed some who could speak the language of the slaves,it seemed a little contrived that he happened to find an ex-slave who could speak their languages as well as being able to speak fluent English in the first place that he looked? It also doesn't show much from the perspective of The Spanish which is even more odd when you realise the impact that the verdict of the trial had on the Spanish several years after the trial.So yes there are some flaws here but it's a powerful film with an interesting story that was certainly worth telling. Those who enjoy historical dramas or Courtroom dramas would be well-advised to check this one out.

The Amistad is a slow-paced film for reasons of mature and ominous suspense in court-law. In 1839 Martin Van Buren was president and he is known as a figurehead of the upstart of the Democratic Party. Anthony Hopkins plays the former president John Quincy Adams having came down from office during 1837 as his final seating as American president. Hopkins is given an 11 minute defense during courtroom debate for the slaves who are well as the heroes of the historical triumph the movie commemorates. March 4, 1837 was the date when he was succeeded by Van Buren. By 1840, depression conglomerated with southern financial and political pressures pelted the president. But Buren was ready for re-election as the third party presidential candidate by his stern alliance for the Free Soil anti-slavery party. The movie centers on a slave ship, the Amistad. It is intercepted by the American Marine Naval, belonging controversially to Spain, America, or noting that all these events transpires before the Civil War, perhaps the quasi- legal slaves will have a legal bounty to gain ownership over La Amistad? The film does not alarm a subconscious racially perverted conceit in me, but instead one must suspend modernity to interpellate with white antiquated mentality. The neutral American bias for rightful ownership of the ship obviously wins my heart's favor for the captors of the ship, the slaves, because they hold more moral sway as the ones who own the ship just by being likened to cargo, which is closer to being originally accidental in the Amistad having moved them from their homeland Africa. Cinque, who is played by Djimon Hounsou, was the leader of this African revolt; desires and expresses his desire to go back to Africa. He leads the transatlantic slave ship. Critics will utmost agree that he shines outstandingly out of all the film's characters, and he is truly impacting emotion in good acting of indignation: never is he seen as brutal in the mature audience. The slave manages to seem believable in a survivor's right after a gruesome scene wherein the rest of the slaves on board were planked and died careening overboard, known historically poignant as Spielberg's "cargo dumping historical realism". The testimony of the two slaves that overtake the Amistad as to their desire to return to Africa sets the whole tone of their role as the protagonists. Morgan Freeman plays the free black man Theodore Joadson to give us an idea of cultural shift during the time of the abolitionists' gaining legal presence. He works in the news printing office in Boston. The film extras are made out to be, through alliteration and synecdoche of their disposable placid lack for talent, pointing towards the audience to focus on the main characters, especially the stand-out, Cinque. Stellan Skarsgaard acts as another vying cause for abolitionism as Lewis Tappan. Matthew McConaughey as attorney Roger Baldwin is hired by abolitionists specifically for his slave- friendly property lawyer status. Janusz Kaminski is the photographer who does Sepia ambiances for the film to heavy the mood in the same way a photographer of realist-journalist competence would choose for the morose-colored eyeglasses. The movie's meaning is that Civil War could have ensued from the slave's legal right becoming pronounced as a real threat to the southern slave beliefs.

Amistad, a Steven Spielberg movie, is a movie that can open one's eyes and imaginations to understand a very small view of what enslaved Africans went through. In the movie, we follow a group of enslaved Africans who have arrived in America on a ship they took over called, "La Amistad", which supposedly belong to the Spanish.Not knowing if they belong to the Spanish, they are placed under custody and a trial goes on to determine whether they are a freed group who was wrongfully captured and transported, or if they should be put to death. Throughout the movie, we receive glimpses of what it was like to go through what slaves went through when in the slave trade system. These depictions in the movie shows the struggle and hardships slaves truly did endure, and how they continued to stay unified and work together. In the time period, as well all know, racism and slavery consumed the united states. After multiple court trials, the Africans were deemed free, But after an appeal, the supreme court now had to get involved to finally determine if the slaves will truly be freed. And after the final trial, these Africans, these human being were final given their freedom. "Give us, us free! Give us, us free! Give us, us free!"

Spielberg expressed the 1839 Amistad story through a compelling courtroom drama. This movie exposes the absolute brutality and violence during this disturbing era. This movie changes people's perceptions of slavery and the early American slave trade. The story revolves around the journey of Cinque, the leader of the rebellion. Spielberg's use of flashbacks shows the endless struggle and the overall value of human life. Looking back, we see Cinque with his wife and family in their small African village living a peaceful and simple life, until he is ambushed and captured and sent across the world into a life of pain and misery. After, we witness the excruciating travels upon La Amistad. This scene, especially, portrayed the absolutely horrendous and deplorable conditions the slaves lived in on the ship; Illness, starvation, abuse, and suicide. The Amistad explores the will and cry for freedom, as it portrays the disturbance in American history. I believe Spielberg successfully expressed the rebellion, and Pre-Civil War America. If you can look past the graphic scenes and the disturbing violence portrayed in this film, you will enjoy it.