When you think of the works of director Steven Spielberg, the films that will likely first come to mind are probably those like Jurassic Park or Jaws for how they hold up as thrilling blockbusters.
However, it was the 1997 historical drama Amistad that, while it remains one of his most under-discussed, is also one of those films that has striking moments that is the director at his best even if the story is not.
It is a work that, for all its flaws in its narrative framing and overstuffed approach, is still quite flooring in its simple moments.
Even as it gets caught up in the legal drama that writer David Franzoni makes its central focus, there are some rather intriguing elements.
It is more than a bit misguided in its prevailing approach, but it still discovers some moments of necessary cinematic clarity amidst the noisy plot.
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