In 1839, the slave ship Amistad set sail from Cuba to America. During the long trip, Cinque leads the slaves in an unprecedented uprising. They are then held prisoner in Connecticut, and their release becomes the subject of heated debate. Freed slave Theodore Joadson wants Cinque and the others exonerated and recruits property lawyer Roger Baldwin to help his case. Eventually, John Quincy Adams also becomes an ally.
Morgan Freeman
as Theodore Joadson
Nigel Hawthorne
as Martin Van Buren
Anthony Hopkins
as John Quincy Adams
Djimon Hounsou
as Cinque
Matthew McConaughey
as Roger Sherman Baldwin
David Paymer
as Secretary John Forsyth
Pete Postlethwaite
as Holabird
Stellan Skarsgård
as Tappan
Razaaq Adoti
as Yamba
Abu Bakaar Fofanah
as Fala
Anna Paquin
as Queen Isabella
Tomas Milian
as Calderon
