It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Amistad (1997):Dir: Steven Spielberg / Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Djimon Hounsou, Anthony Hopkins, Morgan Freeman, Nigel Hawthorne: Documentary about black slavery in 1839. Black slaves slaughter everyone aboard a ship accept for those forced to steer. Upon recapture the issue is taken to court to decide whether it was legal slavery. Structure is repetitious with three court appeals although it is directed by Steven Spielberg with great insight, and a worthy followup to his acclaim work in Schindler's List. Djimon Hounsou plays one of the slaves and makes a good impression. He heads the initial fight against the slave drivers and becomes somewhat the voice of the slaves. It is not difficult to see where this is headed. Anthony Hopkins portrays a former United States President whose role is fairly standard until he highlights with a long speech about slavery. Morgan Freeman brings conviction as a former slave assisting in the investigation. He is more or less there to allow everyone to relate but Freeman rises above the conventions. Matthew McConaughey plays a lawyer representing the slaves. He has played this sort of role before with the same results but this is a far cry from A Time to Kill. Nigel Hawthorne plays the United States President who is under pressure. Very graphic film but it provides insight into the slave trade. Score: 8 / 10

The story of the Le Amistad, a slave ship that was behind controversy of slave trade in the United States. I personally enjoyed the story-line of the movie. The historical aspect made it more interesting. I would give the movie a 7 out of 10. Although i enjoyed the story, the quality was lacking. There were a few scenes that i could barely hear the dialogue of the characters. The music sometimes drowned the out or the sounds of the surrounding environment. I can see this as an effect to make it feel more realistic. I had to turn the subtitles on to understand the English speaking characters. The African Speaking characters were usually subtitled. But there were some scenes where the African men were speaking without any subtitles. I could not understand what they were saying in those scenes. Overall this was a pretty good movie that i would recommend to a friend who enjoys historical movies.

In 1839, a group of slaves aboard the Amistad, a Spanish ship sailing to the United States from Cuba revolted against their captors. Amistad, the movie, is based upon the true story of the group's journey from this point on. Within the opening minutes of the film, viewers are shown the awful conditions experienced on a slave ship. Immediately following is a gruesome, violent revolt warranted possibly by the treatment endured. Amongst the rebel slaves from Western Africa is a man named Cinque who emerges as the leader of the group before the film begins. It is him whose background is exposed around midway through the film in a successful attempt to further the idea that slavery is a terrible endeavor. Scenes of his kidnapping and experiences on slave ships expose the true cruelty that was shown toward slaves or slaves-to-be. One scene that was particularly unnerving was that of the systematic drowning of fifty people who were seen as no more than access cargo. The beating, starving, and killing of slaves who were deemed useless was not uncommon as depicted by the film.All is not grim for the Africans, however. They are supported by a number of important characters including president John Quincy Adams. In spite of the risks at hand because of the vehement feelings on either opposing sides of slavery, it is he who ultimately gives them freedom after it had been stripped of them on numerous occasions. Without the support of him, as well as others such as their lawyer Roger Sherman Baldwin, it would have been impossible for the Cinque and his group to return home. The conflict between those fighting for the Africans and those fighting to return them into slavery is symbolic of conflict that existed between abolitionists and slavery supporters. To conclude, Amistad is a film that rather accurately describes the case surrounding the ¨cargo¨ aboard the actual Amistad as well as the situation regarding slavery in the United States during this time.

I rated the movie a 7 (almost 8) out of 10 because it was mostly accurate to the actual story and it showed the events in great detail. The only issues I had was the lack of subtitles and the repeated scenes with quiet dialogue. Some scenes had the interchanges between a translator which were alright, but other scenes had the African language and no caption. I had no clue what the men were saying. There were scenes where characters were conversing quietly and I could not understand what they were saying or i couldn't hear them at all. Other than that the movie was very well done and surely deserves a 7 or 8 out of 10.