--- title: "Amistad: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/amistad/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/amistad" critics_score: 57 critics_reviews: 9 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): what the critics said Critics' score 57 from 9 reviews: 3 positive, 4 mixed, 2 negative. 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. ## Empire — Ian Freer Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 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 the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/empire-essay-amistad-review/) ## Variety — Emanuel Levy, Elizabeth Guider Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 30 November 1997. 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 the review](https://variety.com/1997/film/reviews/amistad-111711764/) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 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 the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/amistad-1997) ## The New York Times — Janet Maslin Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 10 December 1997. 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 the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/10/movies/film-review-pain-of-captivity-made-starkly-real.html) ## Total Film — Yael Shuv Rating 3/5. 27 February 1998. 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 the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/amistad-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 10 December 1997. 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 the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-dec-10-ca-62363-story.html) ## Time Out — GA Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 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 the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/amistad) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Duane Byrge Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 1 December 1997. 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 the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/amistad-review-steven-spielberg-movie-1235709588/) ## Collider — Chase Hutchinson Rating B-. 25 December 2022. 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 the review](https://collider.com/amistad-review-steven-spielberg-djimon-hounsou/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/amistad.md