Amistad

Amistad is Steven Spielberg's tale of the 1839 mutiny aboard a slaveship named La Amistad. African prisoners overthrew the ship in a bloody rebellion, killing all crew members except two, who were supposed to lead them back to Africa. They land utterly confused on American soil (I think in PA, but I'm not sure sadly) where they are promptly tried on various charges, but on the backburner the entire time is who owns there people? The cast is phenomenal. Morgan Freeman, Djimon Hounson, Matt McConaughey, Anthony Hopkins (steals the movie), Stellan Skaarsgard, even Pete Postlewaithe (the late sadly) who you'll recognize, and Anna Paquin. The prisoners speak zero English and can't communicate for a decent portion of the film. You follow the trials through different levels of our legal system and learn their horrible story. The acting is unreal, and clearly Spielberg is tugging on your heartstrings from time to time. Hopkins lays it down as John Quincy Adams and deserved, and got, his usual Best Supporting Actor nod for this one. Everyone is excellent, but Hounson and Hopkins stand above, ESPECIALLY HOPKINS (I was in awe). It's a great story told expertly by cast and crew alike.

Bottom Line: 8.4 out of 10. An excellent film that is essentially a must-see if you've never indulged. On I think Starz currently. Downgraded because it's fairly long and has some drab parts that make you realize it's over 2.5 hours long. It's solid though, I feel dirty lowering it like that, but it's not Schindler's List good if you're wondering, so I maintain some standards here.