Another fantastic achievement for Steven Spielberg

Rating: 10/10 (31 March 2007)

Amistad is on par with the very best of Spielberg's films and we can easily see why he is always so successful. He has long been treated as a Hollywood pariah by the "serious" film insiders because he dared to make popular films that were money makers. But a common thread that runs through all of the Spielberg films and even more so of his latest work is the courage of the main character or characters to fight through to win against all odds. This story was moving, touching and indeed a bit shocking as it brings home the inequities of our earliest days as a nation. It is loaded with a fantastic load of talent with Matthew McConaghey, Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins and the rest especially the actor playing Cinque (whose name escapes me at the moment.) It is simply a story that blows you away. Add to that another fabulous film score by Spielberg's pet composer John Williams and what more could you ask for. Another outstanding performance was the late Nigel Hawthorne as the clueless president Martin Van Buren. Does he remind you of any current political leaders? This film is another the equal of "Schindler's List" or "Saving Private Ryan." In this commenter's humble opinion it deserves a ten out of ten.