Amistad (1997)

Is it possible to say anything less than adulatory about this generation's Roots without looking like the kind of creep who failed to weep for Mother Teresa? This epic reconstruction of the circumstances surrounding a bloody 1839 uprising aboard the ironically named Spanish slave ship La Amistad (it means friendship) is consistently earnest and well-intentioned but only occasionally moving, despite the efforts of a generally topnotch cast (Matthew McConaughey, of the unidentifiable accent and "dude from Texas" mannerisms, is, however, a liability). Much of the problem lies in the nature of the raw material. The Amistad rebels want only to return to Africa, but are betrayed by their Spanish navigators and wind up in the U.S. There they're put on trial for murder and thrust into the middle of a thorny political and philosophical debate with far-reaching implications for the already-fragile union between slave-owning and non-slave-owning states.

As told, the story of the Amistad is essentially a story of jurisprudence, a textbook illustration of the way the American legal system can, even under inauspicious circumstances, sometimes do exactly what it's meant to do. But while legal arguments can make gripping reading, they often make for stodgy cinema. Around the middle of the film, Cinque (Djimon Hounsou) -- who led the uprising -- tells the brutal story of his abduction and sale into slavery, speaking passionately of the inhuman conditions onboard the ship that brought him to the New World. Those 15 some-odd minutes, which we see in flashback, are pure, gripping cinema, as moving as anything ever committed to film. Unfortunately, they highlight the stuffy, civics-lesson quality of the surrounding material. In a key sequence, former President John Quincy Adams (Anthony Hopkins) contends that the way to win freedom for the Amistad prisoners is to bring their story to life, to tell it in all its human richness and complexity. It's hard to understand why director Steven Spielberg ignored this worthy advice.

Academy Award Nomination: Best Supporting Actor - Anthony Hopkins Best Cinematography - Janusz Kaminski Best Costume Design - Ruth E. Carter Best Original Dramatic Score - John Williams

Performer/Character

Morgan Freeman, Theodore Joadson

Nigel Hawthorne, Martin Van Buren

Anthony Hopkins, John Quincy Adams

Djimon Hounsou, "Cinque"--Sengbe

Matthew McConaughey, Roger Baldwin

David Paymer, US Secretary of State Forsyth,

Pete Postlethwaite, Holabird

Stellan Skarsgard, Lewis Tappan

Razaaq Adoti, Yamba

Abu Bakaar Fofanah, Fala

Anna Paquin Queen Isabella

Tomas Milian, Calderon

Chiwetel Ejiofor, Ensign Covey

Derrick N. Ashong, Buakei

Geno Silva, Ruiz

John Ortiz, Montes

Ralph Brown, Lieutenant Gedney

Darren Burrows, Lieutenant Meade

Allan Rich, Judge Juttson

Paul Guilfoyle, Attorney

Peter Firth, Captain Fitzgerald

Production Credits

Producers: Debbie Allen, Steven Spielberg, Colin Wilson

Exec. Producers: Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald

Co-Producer: Tim Shriver

Assoc. Producers: Paul Deason, Bonnie Curtis

Director: Steven Spielberg

Writers: David Franzoni, Steve Zaillian (credited as Steven Zaillian)

Editor: Michael Kahn

Musical Composer: John Williams

Production Designer: Rick Carter

Special Effects: Scott Farrar Industrial Light & Magic, Denise Eleanor Ream, Tom Ryba

Cinematographer: Janusz Kaminski