With his long and extensive career, it can feel that Steven Spielberg can direct everything. The question is, can he direct a movie that depicted one of the most important freedom suits America has ever faced? Amistad, titled after the ship in the case, is his attempt, and while it does employ some tired tropes and it is a tad lengthy, it does a fair job of balancing the real history and the cinematic drama. Detractors have denounced this film as a white savior narrative due to the way the characters that go through the most growth are the white characters, but it’s Cinqué’s story that moves us through Djimon Hounsou’s performance and Spielberg's direction. Amistad is not perfect, but it at least ensures that Cinqué’s actual life would be remembered and learned from for much longer.
Synopsis
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.
Storyline
Connecticut, 1839. After tribe leader Cinqué takes over the Amistad and frees all the Mende tribesmen on board, they continue to sail, but are inadvertently led to the US and imprisoned as runaway slaves, with a legal battle that seems doomed to fail. However, freed slave Theodore Joadson recruits property lawyer Roger Baldwin and appeals to former US president John Quincy Adams to help their case.
TLDR
“What do you mean the laws almost work?” Bro, it’s close to two centuries and we still can’t answer that.
What stands out
It is long. Some might find cutting the film only to the Conneticut’s District Court would improve the film, but sadly, the case going to the Supreme Court actually happened, and considering that John Quincy Adams’ speech was supposedly 8 ½ hours long, this film is actually the shorter version.
