Morgan Freeman,
Anthony Hopkins,
Matthew McConaughey,
Nigel Hawthorne,
Djimon Hounsou
... see more 
This Steven Spielberg-directed exploration into a long-ago episode in African-American history recounts the trial that followed the 1839 rebellion aboard the Spanish slave ship Amistad and captures th... read more
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Release Date: December 12, 1997
DVD Release Date: April 19, 1999
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Stats: 1,937 reviews
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Flixster Reviews (1,937)
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December 2, 2011fb1672039553A good handful of poignant scenes and numerous others in-between centered around logistics -- just how does a western lawyer in the 1840s connect with African clients who's language he doesn't understand? I wish that Spielberg had followed the advice that John Quincy Adams gives ... read more
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August 7, 2011Slaves rebel aboard the ship taking them to market, setting off Speilberg's telling of the true story that eventually inveighed an ex-President of the United States in the trial for the lives of the slaves. All get through this relatively unscathed, though there doesn't seem to ... read more
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July 27, 2011This is, like a lot of Spielberg, pretty sentimental and schmaltzy, but it had some good intentions, even if the pretentions and pandering can't be totally covered up.
I mean, it is Spielberg, so there are great production values, and John Williams has a good score, but the acti... read more -
October 16, 2010Captivating drama, even if it counts as one of Spielberg's lesser films. By "lesser", however, I just mean that isn't as fantastic or memorable as some of his other movies. Because it's still a good and well-crafted piece of film-making, with an impressive array of top notch acto... read more
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February 16, 2010Based on a powerful true story, this lengthly, but intense tale, shows the graphic reality of the brutal, torture during the slave trade years.
Whilst it was Anthony Hopkins who received an Academy Award nomination for his role in this film (which was very worthy) it was Djimo... read more -
September 10, 2009"Amistad" is based on facts about a historical event in which a lot of blacks are kept hostage as slaves on a ship called La Amistad. Once the slaves reach the United States, they end up going to court to see whether they will be killed, sold as slaves, or returned to where they ... read more
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December 21, 2008#5 Amistad
Amistad is a slave ship travelling from Cuba to the US in 1839, carrying a cargo of African slaves. As the ship is crossing from Cuba to the US, a mutiny takes over the ship. The slaves continue to sail, hoping to find help when they land. Instead, when they reach the ... read more -
June 24, 2008Despite the unflinching and brutal way in which slavery is shown the film is also a feel good examination of how lovely people can be. The film is highly engrossing, grabbing attention from the very first second. Only in the last 40 minutes with the third trial and Hopkins' famil... read more
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April 20, 2008As with a lot of Spielberg's films, this one is wide and sweeping, telling some sort of story and taking a long time to get there. The cast is magnificent and the acting is superb, but it tries too hard to be some sort of cinematic masterpiece and falls far short of Spielberg's p... read more
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January 27, 2008As is often the case in film-making, history has been remoulded for the sake of dramatic tension
Critic Reviews
June 18, 2002
Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle
April 12, 2002
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail
Spielberg seems to be dividing his filmmaking output into two distinct halves: in the summer months cranking out no-brainer dinosaur flicks...in the winter season unveiling his serious artistic stuff ... Full Review
January 1, 2000
Susan Wloszczyna, USA Today
As Spielberg vehicles go, Amistad -- part mystery, action thriller, courtroom drama, even culture-clash comedy -- lands between the disturbing lyricism of Schindler's List and the storybook artificial...
January 1, 2000
Jeff Millar, Houston Chronicle
Halfway into Amistad comes the point where Steven Spielberg pulls the lever, and the stink and horror and bestialities of slavery spill around our ankles. We can't look away.
January 1, 2000
Janet Maslin, New York Times
The best parts of Amistad are those that simply bring their pride, fear and outrage to life. Full Review
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
What is most valuable about Amistad is the way it provides faces and names for its African characters, whom the movies so often make into faceless victims. Full Review
January 1, 2000
Charles Taylor, Salon.com
Amistad is prestige filmmaking bereft of inspiration -- sometimes even of the nuts and bolts of craft. Full Review
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
Thematically rich, impeccably crafted, and intellectually stimulating, the only area where this movie falls a little short is in its emotional impact. Full Review
May 26, 2006
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Amistad is worth seeing just for people to know about this important story, this moment in history. But from the world's most powerful, successful and famous director, we expect more. Full Review
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Amistad
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