Amistad 1997

Critics score:
76 / 100

Reviews provided by RottenTomatoes

Susan Stark, Detroit News: Read more

Janet Maslin, New York Times: The best parts of Amistad are those that simply bring their pride, fear and outrage to life. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: Read more

Entertainment Weekly: Read more

Rick Groen, Globe and Mail: Spielberg seems to be dividing his filmmaking output into two distinct halves: in the summer months cranking out no-brainer dinosaur flicks...in the winter season unveiling his serious artistic stuff to edify the adults and woo the Oscar crowd. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: Thematically rich, impeccably crafted, and intellectually stimulating, the only area where this movie falls a little short is in its emotional impact. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: What is most valuable about Amistad is the way it provides faces and names for its African characters, whom the movies so often make into faceless victims. Read more

Charles Taylor, Salon.com: Amistad is prestige filmmaking bereft of inspiration -- sometimes even of the nuts and bolts of craft. Read more

Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle: In Amistad, an admirable but disappointing effort...[Speilberg] veers between stoic political correctness and mushy Hollywood platitudes. Read more

Geoff Andrew, Time Out: In short, a wordy courtroom drama which seldom progresses beyond ciphers, stereotypes and salutary slogans. Read more