Rating: R
Genre:
Drama
Release Date: 05/04/1999
SubTitles: English
Dubbed: English
Sound: DD5.1
Run Time: 155 Minutes
Flags: Violence, Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Watch With Your Teen
Distributor/Studio: DreamWorks
This
Steven Spielberg-directed exploration into a long-ago episode in African-American history recounts the trial that followed the 1839 rebellion aboard the Spanish slave ship Amistad and captures the complex political maneuverings set in motion by the event. Filmed in New England and Puerto Rico, the 152-minute drama opens with a pre-credit sequence showing Cinque (
Djimon Hounsou) and the other Africans in a violent takeover of the Amistad. Captured, they are imprisoned in New England where former slave Theodore Joadson (
Morgan Freeman), viewing the rebels as "freedom fighters," approaches property lawyer Baldwin (
Matthew McConaughey), who attempts to prove the Africans were "stolen goods" because they were kidnapped. Running for re-election, President
Martin Van Buren (
Nigel Hawthorne) overturns the lower court's decision in favor of the Africans. Former President
John Quincy Adams (
Anthony Hopkins) is reluctant to become involved, but when the case moves on to the Supreme Court, Adams stirs emotions with a powerful defense. The storyline occasionally cuts away to Spain where the young
Queen Isabella (
Anna Paquin) plays with dolls; she later debated the Amistad case with seven U.S. presidents. The character portrayed by
Morgan Freeman is a fictional composite of several historical figures. For authentic speech, the Africans speak the Mende language, subtitled during some scenes but not others.
~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
