Amistad
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70% Critic Match

Amistad

Freedom is not given. It is our right at birth. But there are moments when it must be taken.

7.0 / 10 1997 2h 35mR English
DramaHistoryMystery

Storyline

In 1839, the slave ship Amistad set sail from Cuba to America. During the long trip, Cinque leads the slaves in an unprecedented uprising. They are then held prisoner in Connecticut, and their release becomes the subject of heated debate. Freed slave Theodore Joadson wants Cinque and the others exonerated and recruits property lawyer Roger Baldwin to help his case. Eventually, John Quincy Adams also becomes an ally.

Cast & Crew

Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman

Theodore Joadson

Lead
Nigel Hawthorne

Nigel Hawthorne

Martin Van Buren

Anthony Hopkins

Anthony Hopkins

John Quincy Adams

Djimon Hounsou

Djimon Hounsou

Cinque

Matthew McConaughey

Matthew McConaughey

Roger Sherman Baldwin

David Paymer

David Paymer

Secretary John Forsyth

Pete Postlethwaite

Pete Postlethwaite

Holabird

Stellan Skarsgård

Stellan Skarsgård

Tappan

What People Are Saying

4.0
A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Steven Spielberg's vision lands with breathtaking precision.
Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
4.0
Every frame feels alive. Amistad is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker