Amistad

Pre-civil war human rights drama

By Marnie  Nov 19, 1999

In 1839 off the coast of Cuba aboard the slave ship La Amistad, 44 surviving hostages of murderous slave traders free themselves from their shackles during the night and slay all but two of their captors. Cinque (Djimon Hounsou), the leader of the sl...ave revolt, chains the two slave traders to the helm and instructs them to sail due East on a course bound for home in West Africa. The helmsmen trick the Africans and sail the ship to Long Island, where the Africans are seized by American soldiers and transported to New Haven for incarceration and trial.From then on, politics drive the fate of the 44 citizens of West Africa. Matthew McConaughey portrays Attorney Baldwin, who takes the defense of the Africans and who, in the process, loses all of his other clients. Anthony Hopkins plays John Quincy Adams who comes out of retirement to help Baldwin argue this landmark case in front of the Supreme Court.Hounsou as Cinque brings a palate of fierceness and gentility, humility and regal pride to his role of a free man who is kidnapped and forced into slavery by the Portuguese and Spanish. An especially outstanding, vibrant performance is turned in by Chiwetel Ejiofor as Ensign Covey the interpreter. After the graphic opening sequences aboard the Amistad, the rest of the story follows the legal and political ordeal of the La Amistad survivors as they seek to be restored to their status as free citizens of West Africa.THE FRONT ROW REVIEWER Read more Less