Once again director extraordinaire, Steven Spielberg, creates a movie of importance,
brilliance and drama. Growing from his beginnings of eye candy like Jaws, ET and the
Indiana Jones trilogy, Spielberg has emerged as one of the truly creative directors of our
times. Amistad will evoke a wide range of emotions in the viewer that will make you cry,
laugh and stutter in despair. Still, a movie is made by more than the director. The cast
and writing must also be there. In Amistad, both are evident in generous amounts. Morgan
Freman as the freed slave that has made a good life for himself as the owner of a shipping
line and leader of the anti slavery movement. The scene where he must visit the slave ship
Amistad is gripping. Forced to face his own roots he is terrified with the realization
that his own beginnings where the same as the men and women on trial. Matthew
McConaughey as the young property attorney that fights for the slaves is fantastic in
drive and passion. Anthony Hopkins, as the former president John Quincy Adams, once again
hold you spellbound with a mastery of performance rarely seen. Perhaps the most moving
performance is by the leader of the slaves played masterfully by Djimon Hounsou. He
portrays his role with a strength and quiet dignity that helps to make this movie stand
apart from other. Although most of his performance is not in English, few subtitles are
needed to demonstrate his command of the scene.
This is a DVD to share and remember with your family. There are scenes of violence and
brief nudity but they are integral to portraying the brutal history this film depicts.
This film is honest, human and moving. Spielberg has done it again with a square hit on
the conscious of a nation.
