In 1839, the slave ship Amistad set sail from Cuba to America. During the long trip, Cinque leads the slaves in an unprecedented uprising. They are then held prisoner in Connecticut, and their release becomes the subject of heated debate. Freed slave Theodore Joadson wants Cinque and the others exonerated and recruits property lawyer Roger Baldwin to help his case. Eventually, John Quincy Adams also becomes an ally.
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64/100 Amistad is a movie I can only describe as "well-intentioned", which, as some have already pointed out, is a very backhanded compliment. This is a movie trying to be Schindler's List, and while it doesn't quite get there, it does well enough that my opinions on it are mixed at least. The movie, just like Schindler's List, is about good people in a bad system and how they try to help those oppressed, those being the "slaves" of the titular ship Amistad. This is a good enough premise, and mainly works due to the fact that it works off of slavery's cruelty instead of trying to preach it. I'm also a sucker for courtroom scenes, so the fact the movie's a courtroom drama lends it some points in my eyes. However, this also lends the movie to a certain dullness and lack of focus, as the slaves themselves are relegated to side characters, which is a shame, as they're easily the best part…