Amistad

In 1839, a group of 53 African slaves held on the ship Amistad revolt and kill the crew, demanding to be returned to Africa. The helmsman misleads them, taking them to America, where the Africans are put on trial. Slavery abolitionist Theodore Joadson (Morgan Freeman) arranges for young attorney Roger Baldwin (Matthew McConaughey) to defend the Africans in court. However, the lawyer has trouble communicating with the Africans' leader, Sengbe Pieh (Djimon Hounsou), and American President Van Buren (Nigel Hawthorne), coming up for re-election, is anxious not to lose the votes of those in the pro-slavery southern states. (Paramount Home Entertainment)