Amazing Grace Movie Review

Ioan Gruffud, Rufus Sewell, Albert Finney; Directed by Michael Apted

Amazing Grace tells the story of William Wilberforce, a politician who sought to bring an end to the laws that permitted the practice of slave trading. At first the going is slow with many members of the British Parliament strongly arguing against his case, as their own business interests and fortunes would be put to risk without the contemptible industry. With one rejection after another, William begins to see that he will need more than just personal conviction to turn the hearts of his fellow politicians. He begins calling on an old friend for guidance, a former slave trader-turned-monk who penned the beloved hymn of the film's title. A small group of supporters also begin to meet with him, including a former slave named Equiano, who is able to both show and tell William the hard facts and truths that builds his case and increases the urgency to end the abominable business.

This film was a serviceable tale about triumph over injustice and corruption. The story of Wilberforce's long, hard toil to achieve his goal is inspiring. The years of frustration and stalemate of progress visibly tax him and trod on his spirits, not to mention a debilitating illness that threatens his life. Ioan Gruffud does an amazing job in the title role. The other performer deserving of mention here is the marvelous Romola Garai, whom I have recently become a fan of after having seen her stellar performance in " Atonement."

She plays the role of "love interest" in the story, though the throwaway term is really somewhat shameful in light of what she brings to the film. She is a smart heroine, a backbone of spirit, wit, and strength who shields Wilberforce against forces of darkness and despair when he does not have the power to do so himself. The cinematography was quite good as well, depicting a bleak and gritty England without succumbing to the temptation of romanticizing.

The one thing that really got on my nerves was an appalling flashback mechanism. The story begins with Wilberforce relating his long struggle to Garai's character. We then flashback to his early days in his political career, then trod on for about a good forty five minutes in this past. Suddenly, we're back with the older Wilberforce, whose burgeoning romance now begins to intercut with both past and present scenes for the next half hour. Half the time I either couldn't figure out, or completely forgot when I was in a flashback scene and when I wasn't. Linear storytelling could have cleared this whole mess up and told an equally intriguing tale. But this ploy made the pacing lag terribly, and sometimes failed to keep my interest up. But if you can get past this, the story of Wilberforce and his compatriots really does stir the heart and make for a provocative night of movie watching.

Grading

Story = A-

Originality = A-

Acting = A

Enjoyability = C+ (pacing, pacing, pacing!!!)

Visuals = B+

Overall = B