Some minor weaknesses but overall this is still superb stuff (MINOR SPOILERS)

Rating: 7/10 (12 June 2016)

Amistad is a film about the 1839 mutiny that a bunch of slaves held whilst on board a ship that was heading from Havana to the northeast coast of America. The slaves hold a mutiny, but are subsequently captured and the slaves are sentenced to death for their crimes. The Spanish make the claim that the slaves belong to them and that they are legally their property, but the likes of lawyer Roger Baldwin (Matthew McConaughey), feels that there may be some holes in their argument and is determined that the slaves get the fair trial that they deserve.
I always take films based on historical events with a pinch of salt as it's very rare that you'll come across one that is 100% truthful (I understand that 'artistic licence' comes into play quite a lot). If I am unfamiliar with the history involved with a film then I tend to ask myself one question; what effect did it have on me overall? Clearly with a score of 7 out of 10 I was fairly impressed...
Spielberg doesn't hold back here and goes out of his way to make sure that we witness and feel the pain endured by the slaves; there are several moments in this film that are brutal and tough to watch. Many of the courtroom scenes are excellent as well, but this is mainly due to the many talented actors that were brought together here. Although the subject matter is treated seriously here, screenwriter Franzoni does inject some humorous moments into the film from time to time which I always feel is a nice touch. McConaughey is a Lawyer in this film, but he also has to turn detective here to try to learn more about those that he's representing and again this aspect of the story is engaging and quite amusing and complements the courtroom side of things well.
Impressive production values and a good screenplay are nothing without the actors and what a cast we have here; Hopkins, Freeman, McConaughey and Hounsou were all superb here and really brought the story to life. If I was to single anyone out for praise it would be Hopkins who I think is one of the best actors around. Hounsou comes in a very close second and I personally think that he's one of the most underrated actors in the business - his performance here and in Blood Diamond is powerful and convincing.
Casting a critical eye over this then there were a few things that bothered me; firstly I felt that the scene in the middle of the film where we essentially witness how the slaves were captured could have been used to start the film and then we could have just moved on to the mutiny after they leave Havana. It seemed odd to me that we had a long introduction at the start to set-up the Mutiny only to then have elements of it re-hashed later in the film. Combining the two elements at the start with some editing would have improved the overall structure of the film and would undoubtedly have reduced the rather generous running time. Secondly, when Baldwin needed some who could speak the language of the slaves,it seemed a little contrived that he happened to find an ex-slave who could speak their languages as well as being able to speak fluent English in the first place that he looked? It also doesn't show much from the perspective of The Spanish which is even more odd when you realise the impact that the verdict of the trial had on the Spanish several years after the trial.
So yes there are some flaws here but it's a powerful film with an interesting story that was certainly worth telling. Those who enjoy historical dramas or Courtroom dramas would be well-advised to check this one out.