--- title: "Amistad" year: 1997 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/amistad" fi1m_id: "amistad" imdb_id: "tt0118607" tmdb_id: 11831 fi1m_score: 63 critics_score: 57 critics_reviews: 9 published: "2026-09-24T21:05:15.626210+00:00" updated: "2026-09-24T21:05:38.911399+00:00" region: "SE" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Amistad (1997) Directed by Steven Spielberg · 2h 35m · Statens medieråd 15 · Drama, History, Mystery ## Identity Amistad - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/amistad - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** amistad - **IMDb ID:** tt0118607 - **TMDB ID:** 11831 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118607/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/11831 **Fi1m score: 63** · Critics 57 from 9 reviews *In a sentence:* Two hours of Americans in cravats arguing over who owns the only man on screen worth watching > Spielberg’s account of the 1839 Amistad revolt contains one of the most harrowing sequences he has ever shot and a fierce, watchful Djimon Hounsou. Around them, David Franzoni’s script keeps handing the film to lawyers, and the lawyers keep it. ## Synopsis 1839. In the hold of the Spanish schooner La Amistad, off the coast of Cuba, Cinque (Djimon Hounsou) works a nail loose from the timbers, frees his chains and leads the captives in taking the ship. The surviving crew are told to sail them home to Africa and instead steer north, until the vessel is seized off the American coast and the Africans are jailed in New Haven, Connecticut. Spain, through Queen Isabella (Anna Paquin), still a child, wants them returned as property; the naval officers who caught the ship claim salvage. Abolitionists Tappan (Stellan Skarsgård) and Theodore Joadson (Morgan Freeman) hire a property lawyer, Roger Sherman Baldwin (Matthew McConaughey), to argue the captives were never slaves at all, while President Martin Van Buren (Nigel Hawthorne) presses for a quick result before the election. ## Review Steven Spielberg’s *Amistad* opens in a hold so dark that for a minute we can make out only rain, lightning and a pair of hands. The hands belong to Cinque (Djimon Hounsou), and they are working a nail loose from the timbers. He frees himself, frees the others, and the captives take the ship. The rest of the film is about what the United States did with them once they were caught, and Spielberg tells it as a trial with one long, terrible memory in the middle. The memory is among the best things he has directed. The trial is not. The schooner is seized off the American coast and the Africans are put in a Connecticut jail while men in cravats argue over who owns them. Spain, through Queen Isabella (Anna Paquin), still a child, wants them back. The naval officers who took the ship want salvage. Two abolitionists, Tappan (Stellan Skarsgård) and Theodore Joadson (Morgan Freeman), a freed man invented for the film, hire a property lawyer, Roger Sherman Baldwin (Matthew McConaughey), because property is what the case is legally about. President Martin Van Buren (Nigel Hawthorne) wants it gone before the election, and his Secretary of State John Forsyth (David Paymer) does the shoving. Hounsou is the reason to watch. He plays Cinque with his whole body, bolt upright in the dock with contempt on his face, hurling himself at the bars, and later, once a translator is found, speaking with a care that makes the lawyers look slapdash. When he stands in the courtroom and shouts the little English he has, we sat forward. The film knows he is its centre and still keeps cutting away from him to people with more lines. The sequence that justifies the film comes when Cinque at last tells the court what happened before the revolt. Janusz Kamiński shoots the slave fortress and the crossing in hard grey daylight, so nothing is hidden. Men and women are packed on shelves in the hold; when the food runs short, the sick are chained to a sack of stones on deck and tipped over the side, and the camera watches them go down. We were horrified. We wanted it to stop and the film would not stop, and we think that was the right decision. John Williams’s score, elsewhere thick with choir, is at its sparest here. Rick Carter’s sets are quietly good: the hold low, black and wet, the New Haven jail stone and whitewash, the courtrooms getting larger and grander as the case climbs, which tells you where the power is without a word. Ruth E. Carter puts the abolitionists in black broadcloth heavy enough for a funeral and the captives first in rags, then in stiff shirts donated by a mission, and the shirts do more than several of the speeches. Michael Kahn cuts the sea and the fortress with patience and the court with less, so that motions and appeals blur into one another. That blur is the trouble, and David Franzoni’s script causes it. Every white character is given a position and a speech in which to state it. McConaughey plays Baldwin as a cheerful opportunist who grows a conscience in about three scenes. Freeman is handed a fine coat and almost nothing to do in it; Joadson stands at the back of rooms looking pained. Hawthorne’s Van Buren is a fretful clown, Pete Postlethwaite’s prosecutor Holabird a sneer in a wig. And Anthony Hopkins’s John Quincy Adams, the old ex-president, is given a closing argument long enough for the film to slow visibly around it. Hopkins is good in it. It is still a speech about Africans delivered to a room the Africans have, in effect, been removed from. Somewhere in the second hour we were bored, and then annoyed at being bored by a film that contained that crossing. Spielberg made this between *Schindler’s List* (1993) and [*Saving Private Ryan*](https://film.one/film/saving-private-ryan) (1998), and it is the stiffer, more respectful cousin of both. *Schindler’s List* rarely needed a speech; this one is built out of them, and Williams’s rising voices keep telling us the moment is historic when the faces had already said so. It runs 155 minutes and carries a 15 certificate, earned by the crossing alone. Watch it for Hounsou and for those minutes at sea, and be patient with the cravats. They talk for a long time, and they are not talking to him. *Fi1m score 63, published 24 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics find Amistad a serious, well-made film that never quite becomes the one it means to be. Where the praise settles is on Djimon Hounsou, whose Cinque several reviews call the film’s emotional centre, and on the shipboard sequences: the storm-tossed voyage and the near-wordless depiction of the Middle Passage are singled out as Spielberg at his most direct. Even the harsher notices grant the craftsmanship. The reservations start when the film moves indoors. Several reviews find the courtroom stretches slow and unfocused, and two note that Cinque is pushed to the edge of his own story once the American characters take over. The Los Angeles Times finds those Americans broadly and unconvincingly played. The spread is wide, from warm to dismissive. The Hollywood Reporter calls it tedious, Time Out measures it against Schindler’s List and finds it short, and Collider, writing much later, objects to a white-saviour framing. ## Straight answers **Is Amistad worth watching?** *Amistad* is worth watching for Djimon Hounsou and for one harrowing sequence at sea, and we scored it 63. Around them, David Franzoni's script keeps handing the film to lawyers giving speeches, and the second hour bored us. Anyone with an interest in the period will find enough; anyone after the drama of the trial may not. **How long is Amistad, and what is it rated?** *Amistad* runs 2h 35m and is rated 15 by the Statens medieråd in Sweden. It is a drama and history film. **Where can I watch Amistad in Sweden?** *Amistad* is available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from kr 39.00. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is Amistad, and is it suitable for children?** *Amistad* carries a UK 15 certificate, earned above all by the sequence in which Cinque recounts the slave fortress and the Atlantic crossing, where the sick are chained to stones and tipped overboard while the camera watches. We were horrified, and the film does not look away. It is not for children, and the squeamish should know that stretch is coming. **How does Amistad compare to 12 Years a Slave?** *Amistad* and [*12 Years a Slave*](https://film.one/film/12-years-a-slave) both put an enslaved man at their centre, but only Steve McQueen's film keeps the camera on him; Spielberg keeps cutting away to lawyers and politicians with more lines. *12 Years a Slave* is the better film and the one we would urge people to see. *Amistad* is worth it for Hounsou and its crossing, if you can be patient with the courtrooms. **What should I watch after Amistad?** After *Amistad*, try [*12 Years a Slave*](https://film.one/film/12-years-a-slave) (2013, Fi1m 91): Steve McQueen keeps the camera on the enslaved man and never hands it to a lawyer. Then [*Judgment at Nuremberg*](https://film.one/film/judgment-at-nuremberg) (1961, Fi1m 82): A courtroom drama that earns its speeches, with Spencer Tracy weighing every one; and [*Lincoln*](https://film.one/film/lincoln) (2012, Fi1m 82): Spielberg back among cravats and votes, this time with the talk under control. ### Reviews we read (9) - **Empire**, Ian Freer (70/100, inferred): Freer calls the film an interesting, underrated work that is subtle and righteous despite its ponderous pacing. He singles out the sorrowful, visually striking slave-ship scenes and their counterpoint of music-box tinkling. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/empire-essay-amistad-review/) - **Variety**, Emanuel Levy, Elizabeth Guider (70/100, inferred): The review finds the film artistically solid and moving, though not always dramatically exciting and often overly solemn or bombastic. It praises Djimon Hounsou’s dignified portrayal of Cinque as a compelling emotional center. [Read](https://variety.com/1997/film/reviews/amistad-111711764/) - **RogerEbert.com** (65/100, inferred): The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict and specific praise or complaint cannot be confirmed. The available page content provides no review text. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/amistad-1997) - **The New York Times**, Janet Maslin (65/100, inferred): Maslin finds the film uneven but forceful in its treatment of captivity and injustice. She singles out the stark realism of the captives’ suffering as its strongest element. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/10/movies/film-review-pain-of-captivity-made-starkly-real.html) - **Total Film**, Yael Shuv (3/5): The review finds the film unfocused and dull once it becomes a courtroom drama. It praises the stormy shipboard scenes and Djimon Hounsou’s magnetic performance, while criticizing the film for sidelining Cinque. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/amistad-review/) - **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (45/100, inferred): Turan finds Amistad engrossing and visually accomplished, but believes it falls short of its potential. He praises Spielberg’s visual storytelling, especially the dialogue-free depiction of the Middle Passage, while criticizing the broad, unconvincing portrayals of many American characters. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-dec-10-ca-62363-story.html) - **Time Out**, GA (40/100, inferred): The review says the film’s good intentions do not keep it from falling short of *Schindler’s List*. It singles out that comparison as the measure of the film’s shortcomings. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/amistad) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Duane Byrge (30/100, inferred): Byrge finds the film tedious and emotionally underdeveloped despite its important subject and ambitious scope. He praises the performances, particularly Anthony Hopkins’s, and the technical craftsmanship. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/amistad-review-steven-spielberg-movie-1235709588/) - **Collider**, Chase Hutchinson (B-): Hutchinson finds the film flawed but fascinating, with its legal-drama focus and white-savior framing weakening the story. He singles out Djimon Hounsou’s commanding performance as Cinqué as the film’s greatest strength. [Read](https://collider.com/amistad-review-steven-spielberg-djimon-hounsou/) ## Details - **Director:** Steven Spielberg - **Director:** Steven Spielberg - **Writer:** David Franzoni - **Cinematography:** Janusz Kamiński - **Editor:** Michael Kahn - **Music:** John Williams - **Production design:** Rick Carter - **Costume design:** Ruth E. Carter - **Producer:** Debbie Allen, Steven Spielberg, Colin Wilson - **Cast:** Morgan Freeman as Theodore Joadson; Nigel Hawthorne as Martin Van Buren; Anthony Hopkins as John Quincy Adams; Djimon Hounsou as Cinque; Matthew McConaughey as Roger Sherman Baldwin; David Paymer as Secretary John Forsyth; Pete Postlethwaite as Holabird; Stellan Skarsgård as Tappan - **Runtime:** 2h 35m - **Certificate (Statens medieråd):** 15 - **Release (Sweden):** 13 March 1998 - **Genres:** Drama, History, Mystery - **Also in:** [Golden Globe Best Drama winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-drama.md) (Nominee, 1997) - **Budget:** $36 million - **Box office:** $44 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJFDOvGMD0U ## Where to watch in Sweden - Amazon Prime Video: rent kr 39.00, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy kr 49.00, hd *Checked 2026-09-24.* Also available in: AT, AU, BE, BG, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, HU, IE, IN, IT, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, TR, UA, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *12 Years a Slave* (2013), Fi1m 91: Steve McQueen keeps the camera on the enslaved man and never hands it to a lawyer — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/12-years-a-slave.md) - *Sankofa* (1993): Haile Gerima’s plantation story, told from inside the quarters with no white saviour anywhere - *Roots* (1977): The television epic that first put the crossing on screen for a mass audience - *Judgment at Nuremberg* (1961), Fi1m 82: A courtroom drama that earns its speeches, with Spencer Tracy weighing every one — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/judgment-at-nuremberg.md) - *Lincoln* (2012), Fi1m 82: Spielberg back among cravats and votes, this time with the talk under control — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/lincoln.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/amistad