The many historical inaccuracies (see Goofs section) suggest that this is a liberal re-telling of history, more interested in making a commentary about race in the 1990s than in the history of this important event.
6 Reviews
Another pile of irritating americanism
ace4510 January 1999
Okay okay... this movie might be good for one to watch if you do not recognize the struggle of the native Africans who were abducted to the US. But for the rest of us - this is just yet another movie where a good story drowns in the "American way". The black people that are abducted all converts to Christianism - just because of ONE Bible. The so-called American ideals of freedom are repeated again and again, thus making this movie more of a defense of the Americans rather than an attack on the US' exploiting of slaves.
Matthew McConaughey. Awful.
user-1539 December 2006
Why do people continue to cast McConaughey? In every scene, in every film he's in, he is exactly the same. I suspect what I find most distasteful about him is the arrogant smirk viewers often see curling at the corners of his lips, present throughout the court scenes in this too-long film. He is SO full of himself, it stains all those about him. Hopkins is, as usual, excellent, but Freeman's role obviously wasn't well thought out. He gives the impression of hanging around with no real purpose in the film other than to be a symbolic educated black man.
The film itself is surprisingly poor, particularly considering the director. It doesn't hang together, as though the seems are visible in a poorly made dress. The court scenes are both dull, over-acted by McConaughey, and seemingly endless. I confess I gave up when I learned they were going to appeal the decision made by the second judge. I couldn't go though it all again. The scenes pertaining to slavery after on one or two occasions powerful, but again on other times badly constructed. Not recommended. Not recommended at all. Perhaps the directors heart wasn't in it, unlike Schindler's list.
The film itself is surprisingly poor, particularly considering the director. It doesn't hang together, as though the seems are visible in a poorly made dress. The court scenes are both dull, over-acted by McConaughey, and seemingly endless. I confess I gave up when I learned they were going to appeal the decision made by the second judge. I couldn't go though it all again. The scenes pertaining to slavery after on one or two occasions powerful, but again on other times badly constructed. Not recommended. Not recommended at all. Perhaps the directors heart wasn't in it, unlike Schindler's list.
Spielberg at His Bottom of the Barrel Worst
evanston_dad17 July 2009
Absolutely horrendous film from Steven Spielberg, perhaps his worst ever.
Spielberg was in white guilt mode when he made this, yes, the same mode that brought us his zip-a-dee-doo-dah version of "The Color Purple," though that film looks like "Lawrence of Arabia" compared to this.
Spielberg works so hard to make his whites look like caricature buffoons and his blacks like righteous nobles that he ends up treating his audience like a bunch of morons who aren't able to draw any conclusions for themselves. Anthony Hopkins hams it up to the high heavens as John Quincy Adams while Matthew M. (I don't feel like looking up the correct spelling of his name) looks dazed and lost underneath his period wig. Newcomer Djimon Hounsou plays a mutinous slave who proved to movie audiences how loud he could yell, and that's been the predominant quality in every performance he's given since.
This one is woeful; I challenge you to make it through.
Grade: F
Spielberg was in white guilt mode when he made this, yes, the same mode that brought us his zip-a-dee-doo-dah version of "The Color Purple," though that film looks like "Lawrence of Arabia" compared to this.
Spielberg works so hard to make his whites look like caricature buffoons and his blacks like righteous nobles that he ends up treating his audience like a bunch of morons who aren't able to draw any conclusions for themselves. Anthony Hopkins hams it up to the high heavens as John Quincy Adams while Matthew M. (I don't feel like looking up the correct spelling of his name) looks dazed and lost underneath his period wig. Newcomer Djimon Hounsou plays a mutinous slave who proved to movie audiences how loud he could yell, and that's been the predominant quality in every performance he's given since.
This one is woeful; I challenge you to make it through.
Grade: F
False history
frankgarcia19579 February 2019
Someone should retire...
LadyJaneG12 July 2023
From the appallingly bad writing to the (unintentionally funny) overacting, this is Z-Grade schlock of the worst kind. I couldn't actually watch the whole thing in one sitting. What was so surprising about this movie was that there were actually some decent actors in it, but they were given absolutely nothing to work with. They will never live this one down. Nor will their careers take off. Career low performances from Anthony Hopkins, Matthew McCaugnahay, and Morgan Freeman. From the spotless costumes (everyone looks like they're right out of wardrobe and not living real lives). This garbage sets blacks back generations.
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