Well made historical drama.

Rating: 7/10 (14 October 2006)

Amistad tells the true story of a group of slaves en route to America who break free and revolt, killing the crew of the Amistad. They are brought to America where they are put on trial for murder. Also, three separate parties are trying to decide who the slaves rightfully belong to. Now, a young lawyer named Baldwin is assigned to defend the slaves, and he enlists the help of ex-president John Quincy Adams to speak for them. This movie is well directed, and well acted, and well written. Unfortunately, it doesn't have much of an entertainment factor.
I think it's fair to say that Steven Spielberg is one of the most talented director's of our time. His movies are always very well made. Some are made for pure entertainment, and some are made with entertainment and a message. Unfortunately, this movie is just a message. Now I'm not saying this movie is bad. Far from it. This movie is as well written and directed as all of Spielberg's films. It has a very noble message that's worth listening to, and it's very historically accurate. It's just that this movie isn't very entertaining. When I say that I mean that this isn't a movie that you say to yourself, "I feel like watching Amistad", and you invite some friends over and cook up some popcorn. You can't even watch this by yourself. It's a great docudrama for history class, and it's good to watch once just to see it.
The acting in this movie is very good. Everybody does great in their roles, but obviously the best performance came from Anthony Hopkins as John Quincy Adams. He gives an amazing speech in the courtroom at the end of the movie that deserves to be on a list of greatest speeches on film.
Overall, I highly recommend this movie to everyone, but it isn't a movie that you'll want to watch over and over.
7/10