A group of abducted Africans break free from their shackles aboard a Spanish slave ship, the Amistad, so setting the scene for a lengthy courtroom drama played out against a backdrop of 19th Century slavery. Matthew McConaughy is the noble young lawyer fighting for the slaves' freedom, while Anthony Hopkins is mesmerising as decrepit former President John Quincy Adams. Superb sets and an authentic atmosphere, and it's pretty gruesome at times too. Typically Spielberg-esque epic.
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MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935)
CertificationPG Our Rating
The first, and many would argue the best, of Hollywood's interpretations of the infamous mutiny aboard HMS Bounty in the South Pacific in 1789, an historic battle of wills between Fletcher Christian and Captain Bligh. This version virtually deserts Christian after the mutiny, concentrating on Bligh's amazing 4,000 mile open boat voyage and the subsequent court-martial.
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SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS (1999)
Certification15 Our Rating
Against a backdrop of snow and racism in the immediate post-war USA, a young ethnic Japanese is charged with murdering a fellow fisherman off the Pacific coast. By clever use of flashback a tale of love won and lost is revealed. Superb cinematography makes this enigmatic tragedy from the director of "Shine" truly memorable.
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