Review of Amistad (1997) by Sean C — 13 Jul 2011

It is a moving, fascinating concept, but the execution is rather underwhelming and not terribly interesting. Now, that's not to say that film is bad, because in spite of its flaws, it's still pretty darn good. Still, the flaws are present nonetheless. The film is damaged by overdrawn points, a periodic drop in engagement, slow spots, some gratuitous gore and moderately inconsistent character focus. Still, through all of its flaws and unrealized potential, the film remains fairly well-crafted, being carried by its compellingness and strong performances, but more on that later. For now, let's touch on the smaller, but still notable strengths behind the film, such as an effective hook, an excellent score, fine cinematography, great production designs, a progressive increase in compellingness and a satisfying conclusion.

Touching on the performances, they are truly impressive, particularly Hopkins' and Honsou's. Anthony Hopkins' appearance is ever so rare, but worth the wait, as he is a true revelation as John Quincy Adams, practically transforming into the president and executing his traits sharply and authentically. As for Djimon Honsou, he's playing Djimon Honsou, but back before his roles started to resemble each other. Still, even now, that's not a problem, as Djimon Honsou is a strong character and Djimon Honsou plays him well. Now, allow me to simplify what I just said before your brain explodes from confusion. Honsou is a compelling and spotlight-taking force that keeps you invested in his character and his struggles and even though this type of character and Honsou's execution of him has since become recurring, it never grows old.

Something else worth touching on is how the film is near-groundbreaking in its potrayal of this subject matter, particularly when it comes to the slaves themselves. Spielberg isn't afraid to pull any punches, as he shows these African slaves for who they really were: Regular people who become dangerous when they find themselves out of their environment and threatened by a new culture. Spielberg humanizes these characters in a realistic way instead of overemphasizing their traits until they are finally stripped of their humanity. He shows them as flawed humans that are confused and threatened by this new environment, but isn't liberal with it. He doesn't want us to feel sympathy for them as faceless examples of tortured people, but instead wants to show them as real people who are simply doing what they can to survive.

In the end, though it could have been executed better, "Amistad" remains a fairly compelling, well-acted and unpretentious portrait on the harshness of slavery.