All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Beautifully told, it also made me go back to History books to double check or to confirm. That's what good movies also do, they provoke you into wanting to know more. I loved Djimon Hounsou - a sensational film presence and his soulfulness permeates the whole journey. Anthony Hopkins is a remarkable John Quincy Adams. The great Steven Spielberg doesn't shy away from the horrors and some of it is truly harrowing but even then the preciousness of the image protects you from excesses. I don't know if that is a flaw or just a grand commercial concession. I couldn't help trying to imagine, this story even the same script in the hands of an Arthur Penn for instance. After all of that, let me say I enjoyed it, I was moved and I will see it again.

I appreciate any movie that is willing to take an honest look at American slavery (I.E. not sugar-coat it with some revisionist "Gone With The Wind" BS), and if you're unfamiliar with the Amistad case, it's an interesting time in history. Anthony Hopkins's monologue at the climax is one of the best pieces of acting I've ever seen. My only rub is that all the courtroom stuff just seems to go on forever. I was a little disappointed that we saw so much of the white people arguing over the Africans and so little about the Africans themselves.That being said, the middle passage scene is the most heart-wrenching, realistic depiction probably ever shot. You can really understand just how horrific the experience must've been.Anyways, technically speaking, it's a great film. Check it out, but drink some coffee first, lest you fall asleep with all the courtroom jargon and "white savior" grandeur.

Steven Spielberg, director of the movie, Amistad, bases this movie off of a real event which was a slave revolt on a Spanish ship named La Amistad. He uses an all black cast to enforce the idea of slavery and other ideas that surround that topic at the time. The story behind this event is that on the ship's route to the United States to trade the slaves or sell them, all the slaves revolted. Led by Cinque, the slaves killed off part of the crew. Although, the ship was still headed to the United States, and once they arrived, they were all brought to court and tried for murder. The U.S government, led by president Martin Van Buren, wants to ship the Africans back to Spain. Two spaniards who own the ship La Amistad, want to claim ownership of the slaves, and the American Ship who found and recovered the crew members and slaves want the slaves as well. Meanwhile two abolitionists, Tappan and Theodore, and are in the middle of it all, and want the slaves to be set free. The case then eventually appears before the Supreme Court, argued by ex president, John Quincy Adams. The movie portrays and gives viewers a good understanding of how this event happened, what led to it, and the results of it. The director sets a mood that fits the historical event, proper setting, and there weren't too many incorrect things or stretches on what actually happened, It was a good story and the director and cast members worked hard, it was a job well done.

After watching the film Amistad, I realized how horrific the treatment of slaves really was. The brutal murder and mistreatment of the Mende people really left me deeply saddened and disappointed in the way American people treated the blacks. This film really captured the definition of freedom, and what it meant to the slaves. The excitement and hope that you receive at the end of the movie due to the court case decision to let the Mende people be free truly gives you a sense of humanity that didn't seem to exist throughout most of the movie. Cinqué, the leader of the rebellion, takes a part in a scene that is a very beneficial to the rest of the movie. He slowly walks towards the man holding the gun who had just killed several black men taking part of the rebellion, he soon fights with him and overpowers the white man and stabs him. The whole rebellion though it is very gory, but yet very intriguing scene gives us a sense of hope for the people to return to their homeland and be reunited with their tribes. Throughout the rest of the movie, Cinqué plays a huge part in the freedom of the people as he chants "us free" and gains the help of several abolitionists including Robert Baldwin, his lawyer (Matthew McConaughey). He fights for the freedom of the Mende people, that seems nearly impossible to win for the people since they had rebelled on the Amistad against the captors and killed all of them... The case seems as if there is no hope for them and they are for sure destined to die. But Baldwin finds hidden documents that prove that the Mende people were free citizens of another country and actually never were slaves at any point. William Hollabird argues that Cinqué's case is all a lie and doesn't make any sense asking him why the captors would kill their cargo off so brutally especially. The slaves despite all of the struggles they've experienced are granted their freedom after much argument and heated debate amongst the American people and in the court room. This movie really captures the definition of freedom and how important it is to the slaves. Steven Spielberg did a fantastic job creating such a real experience for each of the viewers to see how horrific the slaves were treated and how important freedom is to each person.