One Of Steven Spielberg's Least Appreciated Works

Rating: Null/10 (31 May 2015)

Powered by sincere performances, told with unflinching determination & strongly resonating the voice of freedom, Amistad finds director Steven Spielberg trying to expand his creative horizons for this historical drama brings on screen one of American history's most shameful acts & while the few artistic license taken here is up for dispute, the film is engaging for the most part.
Set in 1839, Amistad refers to a slave ship carrying a cargo of Africans who were sold into slavery & are on their way to American coastline. On the way, a mutiny takes place on the ship as the slaves free themselves & take over the ship. Yet, deceived by a couple of white survivors, they arrive in America where they are brought to trial & find an unlikely ally in an abolitionist lawyer.
Directed by Steven Spielberg, Amistad opens with the mutiny sequence that might be too disturbing to watch for a few and throughout its first act, the film maintains its tight grip on the viewers' emotions. Camera-work is skilfully carried out, Editing lets the film run a tad too long, set pieces are in tune with the timeline this story is set in & the background score by John Williams is evocative.
Coming to the performances, Amistad packs in quite a star-studded ensemble in Matthew McConaughey, Djimon Hounsou, Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins, Pete Postlethwaite, Stellan Skarsgård, Chiwetel Ejiofor & Nigel Hawthorne, and the best work comes from both McConaughey & Hounsou. Freeman rarely does anything, Hopkins makes his mark only in the final moments & Ejiofor does a good job in his debut role.
On an overall scale, Amistad remains one of Spielberg's least appreciated works that can use a wider audience for its plea for freedom, equality & humanity alone makes it a worthy example of its genre yet the overlong plot, snail-paced narration & sentimentality approach robs it of its true value. Starting on a promising note, leaking fuel for the rest of its runtime & almost running out of it near the end, Amistad is a mixed bag in the illustrious career of Steven Spielberg.