There's no doubt in my mind that Djimon Hounsou, the man who plays "Cinque," should get an Oscar nomination. Every moment that he's on the screen is grand. He has an amazing on-screen presence, and I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of him. Anthony Hopkins as "John Quincy Adams" was brilliant, but I expect no less out of him. I kinda feel sorry for Matthew McConaughey. He wasn't horrible, but he was with the big boys here, and I just don't quite think he was ready yet.
As can be expected from Steven Spielberg, the visuals are stunning. The opening scene, as well as the flashback scene, are excellent. I think that one of the problems was that the script was good, but didn't pack the emotional wallop in the end. Yes, like in "Schindler's List."
Although this
seems like a negative review, it isn't. "Amistad" is a good movie, but I
just expected too much. If Spielberg didn't direct it, my hopes wouldn't
have been as high, so maybe I woulda liked it more. Then again, directed
by someone other than Spielberg, it might've sucked.