Well done, not as unpleasant as I expected (SPOILERS)

Rating: Null/10 (23 June 2003)

Despite the stern warnings from ABC TV (even though it was an edited version), I did not see that the total amount of violence in this movie was anything to get alarmed about. True, the violence was graphic and unsettling at two times during the movie, once at the very beginning and once about halfway through. The second set of violent scenes certainly exceeded the first for brutality. How anyone could treat other human beings as slave traders treated these Africans is beyond me. Still, I can't say that this movie did for slavery what "Schindler's List" did for the Holocaust. This is, in fact, primarily a movie about a murder trial and about the debate over the nature of slavery and how it relates to the specifics of this case.
At the beginning of the movie, Africans being held captive manage to revolt and take over a slave ship. Six weeks later, they are captured and taken to the United States to be tried for murder. A free black man named Joadson, who the Africans consider to be 'a white man' because he dresses and acts like whites, goes to Washington to get Congressman John Quincy Adams to help with the cause. Adams declines, not once but several times. Eventually a
lawyer named Baldwin agrees to represent the Africans, believing that they cannot be tried for murder because they are merely property. The murder trial begins with several requests to decide not guilt or innocence, but what should be done with the Africans. The teenage queen Isabella II of Spain has a claim, as do owners of a Cuban plantation. Meanwhile, the outcome of the case worries President Martin Van Buren, who is told he can have an influence and thereby help himself to be re-elected, and possibly even prevent civil war.
One problem for the Africans: none of them speak English, and at first, no one can be found who speaks their language. A free black man who happens to belong to their tribe is found and serves as a translator. During the testimony at the trial, we see flashbacks of the capture of Cinque and others, and of the brutal treatment they receive.
Whether or not it was historically accurate, this movie was well made. For the first fifteen minutes, no one speaks English, and subtitles are used only when absolutely necessary. We are challenged, but it makes the movie more realistic. Plenty of actors give fine performances, especially Djimon Hounsou as Cinque, who comes across as dignified and serious when being mistreated, positively terrifying when he feels he must strike back, and reserved but pleasant when he knows people are helping him. Cinque probably shows what Africans are really like and how we should have been treating them as humans worthy of respect. Anthony Hopkins gives one of his best performances as well, quite eloquent as the former president of the United States who has a chance to make a difference. Matthew McConaughey and Morgan Freeman also do quite well.
Believe it or not, there is comedy in this movie (and how could there not be, with Spielberg in charge?). The Africans do not trust the white people who are on their side, and not being able to speak the language, they cannot tell what is going on. So several of them accuse the people on their side of being no better than 'dung scrapers'. Adams, on the other hand, falls asleep frequently in Congress, and he is accused of doing so in the movie. Adams, in fact, provides most of the funny lines.
Some of the best scenes are the ones where Cinque and his translator finally make a connection and make clear the intentions of Baldwin and the others. The debates over the morality of slavery and about what should be done with the Africans appear to have been well-researched and well-written, though I don't know enough to say they are historically accurate. The violent scenes on the slave ships appeared realistic and carefully done, in order to give us the right impression. One thing I found curious: African blacks are dark-skinned. Most, if not all, of those pushed overboard were light-skinned, which would indicate some white ancestry.
This is definitely a movie worth seeing for educational reasons, but it is not for the squeamish. A person could, however, see a tape and fast-forward through the difficult parts and still be left with a worthwhile experience.
******************SPOILERS*****************
Adams did, in fact, finally agree to represent the Africans after the government appealed a verdict in the Africans' favor. It was a real pleasure to watch the Africans celebrate their freedom, though later Cinque found it quite confusing how the American system of justice could work so strangely. The conversations between Adams and Cinque, and later the eloquent speech by Adams before the Supreme Court, were among the movie's best moments.