# Amistad (1997)

### reviewed by
Homer Yen

    "A" is for Amistad
    by Homer Yen
    (c) 1997

Throughout the history of Man, our individuality, our evolution, and our innate ability to define who we are stems from one concept. Freedom is what allows us to pursue our inalienable rights of life, liberty and happiness. The struggle to attain that freedom; however, has come at a high price. Consider the sacrifice that Jesus made. Consider the American Revolutionary War. Consider the case of the Amistad.

In 1839, slaves aboard the ship, La Amistad, escape from their bonds and subsequently overrun the ship. Enraged, they kill most of their captors. The Amistad is eventually captured by the US Navy, and the escapees are brought to stand trial for various counts of murder and mayhem. But this is more than just a simple trial. During this time period, the symbolic nature of this trial will have a long-lasting effect that will ultimately help to shape the direction of young America. Several interested parties all have a large stake in its outcome. Some view the slaves as property and want the trial to be handled as a property issue. The trial also has repercussions that threatens the stability of an international treaty. But most importantly, exonerating and freeing the Amistad defendants may ultimately throw the country into civil war as southern leaders will look upon this as a prelude to total emancipation, which would be a threat to their economic prosperity.

This is a very fragile and pivotal point in America's history. Part of the film acutely illustrates the atrocities of the slave trade. Men, women and children are ripped apart from their families and communities, only to be sold as a commodity. Their lives have been stripped away. Their ordeal is torturous. Like cattle, some are sold off while others are slaughtered. It is truly shocking to witness such brutality. You can not help but shed a tear for those unfortunate victims. The other portion takes the form of a courtroom drama that shows how the great minds of that day tried to maneuver through moral ambiguity and address a higher order of responsibility.

Those that wished to set the slaves free include Roger Baldwin (Matthew McConaughey), a lawyer who at first bases his case on property law but slowly comes to see his clients as human beings. The cause is also supported by two abolitionists, a former slave (Morgan Freeman) and an immigrant named Tappan (Stellan Skarsgard). Former President John Quincy Adams (Anthony Hopkins) also argues eloquently and ably for their freedom. Those that oppose their freedom include the pubescent Queen of Spain (Anna Paquin) who demands that the slaves be returned to her, sailors and merchants that hold receipts of their purchase, and a bumbling President Van Buren (Nigel Hawthorne), who is constantly being pressured by Southerners that threaten secession. The leader of the slaves, Cinque, (African model Djimon Hounsou), is truly a majestic and formidable leader. He doesn't speak any English, but must somehow try to free his comrades in a foreign environment where the judicial system is still experiencing growing pains.

Directed by Steven Spielberg, you can see his penchant for over-the-top poignancy. Indeed, there are some incredibly moving scenes that can bring you to tears. The plight of the Amistad defendants is a heart-wrenching one. Cinque's crusade is poetic. Another highlight is Anthony Hopkins as the dotty politician, who delivers one of the best courtroom speeches ever (Oscar contender as Best Supporting Actor). There are, however, two minor (very minor) complaints that I want to point out. The first is that the actual exploration of the slave trade happens outside the main framework of this movie. It serves as a backdrop to Cinque's quest for freedom. Eventually, and this is my second minor reservation, this fact gives way to an extended courtroom drama, which covers the last 90 minutes of the film.

But, do not let these observations discount the importance of this historical epic. Amistad, based on the book, Black Mutiny, is courageously weighty and poignant. It's an important movie and offers a historical peek into a young nation when a few good men desperately tried to do the right thing within a misguided society that was deeply divided.

    Grade: A

The review above was posted to the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due to ASCII to HTML conversion.

Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews