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10/12/1997 Drama, History, Mystery 2h 35m
70
User score

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

Overview

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.

  1. Steven Spielberg

    Director

  2. David Franzoni

    Writer

Top billed cast

  1. Morgan Freeman

    Theodore Joadson

  2. Nigel Hawthorne

    Martin Van Buren

  3. Anthony Hopkins

    John Quincy Adams

  4. Djimon Hounsou

    Cinque

  5. Matthew McConaughey

    Roger Sherman Baldwin

  6. David Paymer

    Secretary John Forsyth

  7. Pete Postlethwaite

    Holabird

  8. Stellan Skarsgård

    Tappan

  9. Razaaq Adoti

    Yamba

  10. View more

Full Cast & Crew

Reviews

A review by CinemaSerf
Written by CinemaSerf on 2022-06-24
Steven Spielberg took the helm for this rather classy, if very wordy, depiction of the celebrated legal battle that resulted from the mutiny of slaves aboard a Spanish ship in the late 1830s. A timely intervention from the US Navy rescued some of the crew, but then subjected the erstwhile cargo to an humiliating and debase battle for their "ownership". Roger Baldwin (Matthew McConaughey) takes up the cudgels on their behalf - at no small risk to himself, and with the assistance of former US President John Quincy Adams (Sir Anthony Hopkins) takes this principle all the way to the Supreme Court....read the rest
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Recommendations

  1. Mutiny on the Bounty73%
  2. Against the Wall61%
  3. Emancipation77%
  4. The Bounty67%
  5. Firebrand63%
  6. Nuremberg75%
  7. 12 Years a Slave79%
  8. Truth & Treason79%
  9. Escape from Pretoria71%
  10. Kursk66%
  11. Malcolm X75%
  12. Unconquered65%
  13. Mr. Turner65%
  14. Schindler's List85%
  15. Che: Part Two66%
  16. All Eyez on Me67%
  17. S.O.S. Titanic60%
  18. King of the Hill68%
  19. Lincoln68%
  20. Wasp Network60%

Status
Released

Original Language
English

Budget
$36,000,000.00

Revenue
$44,229,441.00

Keywords