With Amistad Steven Spielberg once again attempts to create an epic film about a dark period of human history. Based on true events the film takes place in 1839 and follows a slave uprising on the Spanish ship The Amistad and the aftermath of this event.
A group of slaves, led by Cinque (Djimon Hounsou) take control of the ship and murder their captors. But instead of returning home they wind up off the shores of Long Island and are taken to New Haven Connecticut for trial. They are prosecuted by District Attorney William S. Holabird (Peter Postlethwaite) and, representing the interest of President Van Buren (Nigel Hawthorne) is Secretary of State John Forsyth (David Paymer)
Hoping to see the slaves go free are abolitionist Lewis Tappan (Stellan Skarsgard) and Theodore Joadson (Morgan Freeman). They appeal to former U.S. President and current Congressman John Quincy Adams (Anthony Hopkins), who declines to help them and suggest they seek out a man with more passion and therefore more to loose. They find such a man in Roger Sherman Baldwin (Matthew McConaughey).
The abolitionist are outraged when Baldwin suggests this is no more than a property case with many factions fighting for the prosecution of the slaves. Queen Isabella of Spain represents her interests through John Forsyth. Holabird wants them executed for their crimes at sea. Two Spaniards who survived the mutiny claim the slaves belong to them and the American sailors who found the vessel claim salvage rights to all property. But Baldwin's tactic is the best because the law is on his side.
As the case proceeds Baldwin must learn to communicate with Cinque. Hounsou is dynamic on screen and his commanding presence alone carries the film which suffers under the weight of melodrama. Spielberg's expertise at storytelling serves him well in keeping the large cast of characters clear and the legal process understood. But he makes a fatal misstep with the third act. After a compelling and dramatic court court case the story moves to the United States Supreme Court where John Quincy Adams eloquently defends the slaves against their prosecutors. Hopkins is excellent as Adams as he presents his argument to the court but their is no dramatic tension to this part of the story. Their is no interaction between Adams and the Supreme Court justices. We are not even allowed to listen to Holabird's opposing arguments. After a stunning scene where Cinque recounts his story to a judge (Jeremy Northam), this final court scene feels superfluous and flat, even with Hopkins Oscar nominated performance.
Along with Djimon Hounsou, Spielberg's eye for rich detail and his superior knowledge on how to tell a visual story are the films saving grace. Once again Spielberg's collaborators, Janusz Kaminski, Michael Khan and John Williams, give us their best but unfortunately overall the film feels like a message movie when it should offer a riveting glimpse into a dark period of American history.
At The Movie House rating *** stars. It's good Spielberg, just not great Spielberg.
Note- After Amistad Spielberg released Saving Private Ryan, the third film in his trilogy about man's inhumanity to man. Saving Private Ryan is epic storytelling at it's best and recognized for it's brilliant opening sequence, the battle at Normandy. I'm skipping Saving Private Ryan in the second half of my Spielberg retrospective because I already watched it last Memorial Day. To read my comments follow the link:
4 comments:
I published some ocmments before...where are they?
I'm not sure I understand your point..."We are all capable of heinous acts, we need punishment to deter them"...Are not the laws to carry out such punishment already in place???...if you injure someone you get punished, such laws exist, do they not???...Hate crime laws are merely Orwellian methods of thought control over the intellectually lazy sheeple...Ironically, you review Schindlers List and then applaud hate crime laws...It is hate crime laws and thought control laws, not the lack thereof, that leasd to 120 million deaths from 1936 to 1945...look it up....Such laws are fine when they protect those you agree with,.,,,what about when they neglect those you disagree with????...A free man sees that Natural Law (so often spoken about by our Founding Fathers but today all but forgotten) is entirely sufficient to rule the land.
In light of my prior comment, perhaps a review of Minority Report is in oprder, not necessarily for the quality of the film, although it certainly was good, but for its message...
Dear Anonymous,
I do not know what comments you are talking about that are missing.
Thanks for your thoughts and comments glad you are reading the blog.
I reviewed Minority Report last year in May check my review of Catch me if You Can for the link.
Post a Comment