Movie Review: Amazing Grace

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Great acting brings history to life

Cons: None

The Bottom Line:

Historical film

Of fight to end slavery

Truly great drama

Power of One Man Inspired

When I first heard there was a movie called Amazing Grace coming out, I assumed it was the story of John Newton, the former slave trader who penned the famous hymn. Turns out I was wrong. Instead, it tells the inspiring story of William Wilberforce.

Wilberforce (Ioan Gruffudd) was a member of Parliament during the late 1700's. He hadn't been in politics too long when God got a hold of him. While he was good at politics, he felt pulled to devote his life to God. But through the encourage of his friends, especially Prime Minister to be William Pitt (Benedict Cumberbatch) and preacher John Newton (Albert Finney), he found another calling for his life - leading the fight to end slavery in the British Empire.

This movie begins in 1797, and in a series of flashbacks, tells the story of William beginning his struggle to end slavery. In 1797, his poor health and constant defeats lead him to almost give up his calling. Will he stop or keep fighting?

William Wilberforce was a deeply committed Christian, and that influenced much of his life. But don't let that fact scare you away from this wonderful film. Christianity is an ever present part of the story, but the movie never preaches. And, unlike many Christian movies, this one is well written, acted, and produced.

Frankly, having watched the film, I am still a little baffled over the choice of names. "Amazing Grace" is William's favorite hymn and shows up three times in the wonderful soundtrack. But it just doesn't feel like the appropriate title for this movie.

But that is my only real complaint. As with many period movies, I found this one a little hard to follow at first. But with a little extra effort, I was soon able to track who these people were and what was happening.

Once I got that figured out, I got lost in the story. Not only did William struggle with his fellow politicians in the fight for what was right, but he also suffered from poor health. The jumps in time were easily followed and gave the movie the ability to give us William's perspectives on things.

While the movie deals mainly with Wilberforce and his efforts to abolish slavery, it doesn't forget the historical background. There are references to the French and American revolutions and how these world events shaped his fight.

Mainly through words, this movie depicts the harsh realities that were the slave trade. Frankly, this made the horror all the more real to me since I had to fill in the gaps with my mind. There are two uses of the "n" word. They are jarring. While historically accurate, I think their use was intended to jar us.

Obviously, this is a serious movie. However, there are a handful of comic moments scattered throughout, and they are wonderful.

The acting was top notch as well. There was not a weak actor in the bunch, but special note should go to Ioan Gruffudd, Albert Finney, and Jeremy Swift, who plays William's butler. He steals a scene or two.

As I watched the story unfold, I couldn't help but notice how little has changed in politics in the last 200 years. Frankly, this gave me hope that some of the issues of today will eventually be resolved despite how it looks from year to year.

Amazing Grace is an inspiring movie. We need more men like William Wilberforce today who will fight, not because it is politically expedient, but because it is right.