Amistad Movie Review

Rating: 7/10 (3 January 2016)

Steven Spielberg, director of the movie, Amistad, bases this movie off of a real event which was a slave revolt on a Spanish ship named La Amistad. He uses an all black cast to enforce the idea of slavery and other ideas that surround that topic at the time. The story behind this event is that on the ship's route to the United States to trade the slaves or sell them, all the slaves revolted. Led by Cinque, the slaves killed off part of the crew. Although, the ship was still headed to the United States, and once they arrived, they were all brought to court and tried for murder. The U.S government, led by president Martin Van Buren, wants to ship the Africans back to Spain. Two spaniards who own the ship La Amistad, want to claim ownership of the slaves, and the American Ship who found and recovered the crew members and slaves want the slaves as well. Meanwhile two abolitionists, Tappan and Theodore, and are in the middle of it all, and want the slaves to be set free. The case then eventually appears before the Supreme Court, argued by ex president, John Quincy Adams.
The movie portrays and gives viewers a good understanding of how this event happened, what led to it, and the results of it. The director sets a mood that fits the historical event, proper setting, and there weren't too many incorrect things or stretches on what actually happened, It was a good story and the director and cast members worked hard, it was a job well done.