Synopsis:

Amistad is the name of a slave ship traveling from Cuba to the U.S. in 1839. It is carrying a cargo of Africans who have been sold into slavery in Cuba, taken on board, and chained in the cargo hold of the ship. As the ship is crossing from Cuba to the U.S., Cinque, who was a tribal leader in Africa, leads a mutiny and takes over the ship. They continue to sail, hoping to find help when they land. Instead, when they reach the United States, they are imprisoned as runaway slaves. They don't speak a word of English, and it seems like they are doomed to die for killing their captors when an abolitionist lawyer decides to take their case, arguing that they were free citizens of another country and not slaves at all. The case finally gets to the Supreme Court, where John Quincy Adams makes an impassioned and eloquent plea for their release.

The Freak's Rating: B- : Spielberg has a style all his own, a wonderful blend of cheesy/inspirational dialogue, good acting, wonderful music (usually a John Williams' score) and emotional moments.  Nobody will argue the methodology, as it has produced numerous wonderful films.

Amistad has a powerful message of slavery, told during the dawn of the Civil War.  Based upon a true story, the story of the crew of Amistad is told quite accurately, according to Wikipedia and all sources I can find.  Filmmakers will always take liberties with true stories, but Spielberg stays relatively true.

Acting by Hounsou is fantastic.  This guy still hasn't been recognized for the talent he possesses as an actor.  For some reason, filmmakers and studios are too frightened to put him in a role outside of a slavery-laden one.  I plea with them to do so.  He has serious acting chops and steals every scene he is in with the rest of the "A listers" he shares the screen with.  Hopkins is over the top, but still enjoyable and McConaughey leaves his shirt on for once, which gets high marks for me.

Overall Amistad is typical Spielberg.  It isn't spectacular as it should have been, but still worth a see for any fan of the man's work and style.

Joyce's Rating: A : I thought this movie gave a true and sad account of slavery. Hounsou was brilliant. His strength as a leader and his compassion as a father showed the depth of his acting abilities. I have seen this movie 2 or three times.

Jen's Rating: A- : Powerful and excellent acting. Matthew McConaughey and Morgan Freeman kind of bugged me but that's just a personal thing.  This was a good memorable movie!

Sebastian's Rating: B+ : a very powerful and upsetting emotional movie. Spielberg has done an amazing job in this movie.

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