Cry Freedom (1987) User Reviews (65)

Fine all round performances

[redkiwi · 8/10 · 1 April 2002]

Billed as the story of Steve Biko -- played excellently by Denzel Washington, as you'd expect -- this was actually more the story of Donald Woods, played by Kevin Kline.

This was undoubtedly the making of Kline as a serious actor, and he was surprisingly good in the role.

Attenborough gave this the sort of direction you'd expect, and the often spectacular scenes of the masses were those of the sort that only he can get across.

The remainder of the cast was competent enough and did a good job, in what ends up as an ultimately sad tale of a South Africa that is still nowhere near the distant past.

A Terrific Film!

[namashi_1 · 8/10 · 1 May 2011]

Richard Attenborough is one storyteller. 'Gandhi' & 'Chaplin' are widely regarded & respected to this date. 'Cry Freedom', according to me, is his finest work since 'Gandhi'. This British drama takes place in a time of violence, and is executed with flourish. Even the performances are top-notch!

'Cry Freedom' is set in the late 1970s, during the apartheid era of South Africa and centers around the real-life events involving black activist Steve Biko and his friend Donald Woods, who initially finds him destructive, and attempts to understand his way of life.

'Cry Freedom' delves into the ideas of discrimination, political corruption, and the repercussions of violence. Based on a pair of books by journalist Donald Woods, this human-tragedy is wonderfully written by John Briley. Also, the dialogue at places, give you goose-flesh. Sure, the writing does drag a bit, but that doesn't effect it's impact.

Richard Attenborough knows what he's making. He knows this isn't an easy story to make. But, the veteran directs each frame with flourish. Cinematography by Ronnie Taylor, is excellent. Editing & Art Design, are perfect.

Performance-Wise: Denzel Washington is fantastic as Steve Biko. He delivers a performance that easily ranks amongst his finest works to date. Kevin Kline as Donald Woods, on the other-hand, is restrained all through. Not once does he go over the top. Penelope Wilton is effective. Kevin McNally scores. Others lend good support.

On the whole, 'Cry Freedom' is a terrific film, that over-shadows it's flaws, cleverly. Don't miss this one!

Not exactly a Biko biopic, but better than nothing

[HotToastyRag · 7/10 · 21 May 2020]

If you find apartheid-set films fascinating, you'll want to check out Cry Freedom, a drama starring Denzel Washington as the activist Steve Biko. Kevin Kline comes along for the ride, and as a journalist who clashes with Denzel, but as they get to know each other, he understands his methods and gets drawn to the cause himself.

Parts of this movie are very tense and exciting, as risks are taken to further the greater good. Keep in mind it was made in the 1980s, though, so it won't be as graphic or violent as it would be if made today. Still, for '80s audiences, I'm sure it was educational and eye-opening as to conditions in apartheid South Africa. There's still a modicum of "Hollywood" about this movie: Kevin's character is much more developed than Denzel's, and the entire point of the movie is his shift in support, rather than a straight biopic of Steve Biko with a side character of a journalist. Still, it's always a treat to see actors putting on difficult accents, and you'll also get to see a young Penelope Wilton as Kevin's wife!

The timeless message of Cry Freedom

[lmperry · 10/10 · 23 April 2003]

I show this film to university students in speech and media law because its lessons are timeless: Why speaking out against injustice is important and can bring about the changes sought by the oppressed. Why freedom of the press and freedom of speech are essential to democracy. This is a must-see story of how apartheid was brought to the attention of the world through the activism of Steven Biko and the journalism of Donald Woods. It also gives an important lesson of free speech: "You can blow out a candle, but you can't blow out a fire. Once the flame begins to catch, the wind will blow it higher." (From Biko by Peter Gabriel, on Shaking the Tree).

Thought provoking, gut wrenching and a humbling experience at 14 years of age

[kellyo73 · 9/10 · 15 February 2010]

I think the context of the story has been covered by other posters so I would just like to write about the impact this film had on me.

I first saw this film the year of it's release around 1987. My school organised a trip to the cinema to see it, for an RE project I think. We all went along of course excited because we were on a school trip to the cinema! Little did we know what we were about to experience. To this day I still remember the feelings it invoked in me and i remembered crying a lot as were most of my friends. I think at the age we were we found it shocking and quiet rightly outraged in our own youthful way .It had such an impact on me that I joined the Anti Apartheid Movement the same year.

I think it served it's purpose in my case.

Don't judge this movie so harshly!

[thugzangel1206 · 15 December 2004]

On watching this movie as part of background research for my GCSE History I was moved enough to search for details on it. To my horror the user known as Howlin Wolf harshly described the movie as 'mostly 2 and a half hours of boredom punctuated by occasional flickers of interest when Kline or Washington were given a passionate monologue to deliver'. How can a person, after watching the story of thousands of people in South Africa at the time some up such a excellent movie in this way?

I have to admit, at parts of the movie I was less interested then at others but how can the movie as a whole be described as boring? Okay, so its a movie but not all movies are made for entertainment! Cry Freedom is a moving movie BASED ON A TRUE STORY AND TRUE PEOPLE. What right does Howlin Wolf have to say its boring?

If you, like Howlin Wolf, find it boring, look into the details. In an event portrayed in the movie 700 CHILDREN are brutally shot just because they refuse to learn 'the white man's language' of Afrikanaas. In another event,a man is reported as dying by 'self-strangulation'? How is it possible to call the plight of others boring?

I thoroughly recommend people who can feel empathy for others to watch this and enjoy superb actors portray a time in history which is still under heavy discussion.

Biko Film Without Much Biko

[CitizenCaine · 7/10 · 22 March 2009]

Steve Biko was a black activist who tried to resist the white minority governed South Africa in much the same way as Gandhi tried to resist the British empire's colonialism in India. Richard Attenborough's film Cry Freedom is not about Biko or Apartheid as much as it is about Donald Woods, the white liberal newspaper editor who risked his life trying to tell Biko's story. The film has a jarring point of view switch after Biko dies in prison from tortuous behavior at the hands of South African "police". Woods, played by Kevin Kline, must choose whether to do the right thing and flee the country to publish books about Biko or allow his wife, played by Penelope Wilton, to pressure him into forgetting about the books. In that case, Biko dies in vain. What begins as a life-changing friendship between Biko and Woods degenerates into a standard by the numbers escape over the border yarn after Biko's death. Oscar-nominated Denzel Washington is good in only his fourth film as Biko, but something is wrong in a film that tries to depict the struggles of Apartheid by focusing more on the trials of a white family for more than half the film. Attenborough would have served his topic better by focusing on Biko's rise to prominence instead of beginning where Biko befriended Woods. Perhaps a black actor in a leading role in a 2 1/2 hour film wasn't exactly conducive to big box office, but the film was a tremendous box office flop anyway. Film politics aside, the film still entertains and sends a message or two, albeit, in PG-sanitized fashion. *** of 4 stars.

An exceptional film

[Guy Chapman · 10/10 · 2 April 2002]

This film is, quite simply, brilliant. The cinematography is good, the acting superb and the story absolutely breathtaking. This is the story of Donald Woods, a white South African who thought himself a liberal until he found out the reality of apartheid. Kevin Kline is completely convincing - so much so that when Donald Woods himself appeared on TV some years later, I recognised him from Kline's portrayal. Denzel Washington also turns in a masterful performance, as ever.

I urge you to watch this. It is long, but it is worth your patience because it tells such an incredible story. Remember, folks, this really happened.

***1/2 out of *****

[Idocamstuf · 7/10 · 29 August 2003]

An overlong, but compelling retelling of the friendship between civil rights leader Steve Biko and Donald Woods. The first half of the film is the strongest where we see the bond formed between the two men, and how they help each other out, but the second half isn't as strong, due to the elimination of the Biko character. Still, its a compelling film with great performances by Kline and Washington, in the film that put the latter on the map. Washington was also was nominated for best supporting actor for the first time. Overall, a well made film that could have been trimmed down a bit. 7/10.____________________________________

Possibly the best ever work for all involved

[lee_eisenberg · 10/10 · 9 May 2005]

As anyone old enough knows, South Africa long suffered under the vile, racist oppression of apartheid, which completely subjugated the black population. One of the most famous anti-apartheid activists was Steve Biko, who was murdered in jail. Following the murder, reporter Donald Woods sought to get Biko's message out to the world.

In "Cry Freedom", Woods (Kevin Kline) befriends Biko (Denzel Washington) before the latter is arrested on trumped up charges. When Woods attempts to spread Biko's word, he and his family begin living under threat of attack, and they are finally forced to flee the country. The last scene gut-wrenchingly shows police firing on protesters.

As one of two movies (along with "A World Apart") that helped galvanize the anti-apartheid movement, "Cry Freedom" stands out as possibly the best ever work for all involved.

This One Really Hurts

[view_and_review · 7/10 · 4 February 2020]

I really don't want to register my thoughts and opinions on this movie because I'll probably be all over the place. Movies like "Cry Freedom" are so deeply personal to me that I can't possibly watch them objectively.

I will say this: it is a good movie if for any reason it shed light on the Apartheid regime in South Africa and the unspeakable evils the white Boers were committing against the Black South Africans. But I found it strange that Stephen Biko, a Black man, was killed and all of a sudden I'm watching the trials and tribulations of a white family. Somehow I think it only became a movie because there was a white family caught up in the mix. And now I've already said more than I wanted to.

If you have any morsel of flesh in your chest cavity that can rightly be called a heart, then you will be jolted by the events in "Cry Freedom." If you have, as Omarion sang, an icebox where your heart used to be, then sit back, relax, have some popcorn, and be at ease with other people's suffering.

Must-viewing just to begin to understand apartheid's legacy

[GMeleJr · 9/10 · 28 September 1999]

CRY FREEDOM is an excellent primer for those wanting an overview of apartheid's cruelty in just a couple of hours. Famed director Richard Attenborough (GANDHI) is certainly no stranger to the genre, and the collaboration of the real-life Mr. and Mrs. Woods, the main white characters in their book and in this film, lends further authenticity to CRY FREEDOM. The video now in release actually runs a little over 2 and a half hours since 23 minutes of extra footage was inserted to make it a two part TV miniseries after the film's initial theatrical release. While the added length serves to heighten the film's forgivable flaws: uneven character development and blanket stereotyping in particular, another possible flaw (the insistence on the white characters' fate over that of the African ones) may work out as a strength. Viewing CRYING FREEDOM as a politically and historically educational film (as I think it should, over its artistic merits), the story is one which black Africans know only too well, though the younger generation may now need to see it on film for full impact. It is the whites who have always been the film's and the book's target audience, hopefully driving them to change. Now twelve years after the movie's production, CRY FREEDOM is in many ways a more interesting film to watch. Almost ten years after black majority rule has been at least theorically in place, 1987's CRY FREEDOM's ideals remain by and large unrealized. It therefore remains as imperative as ever for white South Africans, particularly the younger ones who have only heard of these actions to see it, and absorb the film's messages. In total contrast to American slavery and the Jewish Holocaust's exposure, South Africans' struggles have been told by a mere two or three stories: CRY FREEDOM, CRY THE BELOVED COUNTRY (OK, Count it twice if you include the remake), and SARAFINA (did I miss one?). All three dramas also clumsily feature American and British actors in both the white and black roles. Not one South African actor has played a major role, white, coloured, Indian or Black!). And yes I did miss another international South African drama, MANDELA and DEKLERK. Though this (also highly recommended) biopic was released after black majority rule was instituted, MANDELA was played by a Black American (Sidney Poitier, who also starred in the original S.A.-themed CRY THE BELOVED COUNTRY), while the Afrikaner DeKlerk was played by a (bald) very British Michael Caine, a good performance if you can dismiss that the very essence of Afrikanerdom is vehement anti-British feelings. Until local SABC TV and African films start dealing with their own legacy, CRY FREEDOM is about as authentic as you'll get. As villified as the whites (particularly the Afrikaners) are portrayed in the film, any observant (non-casual) visitor to South Africa even now in 1999, not to mention 1977 when CRY FREEDOM takes place, will generally find white's attitudes towards blacks restrained, even understated. Looking at CRY FREEDOM in hindsight, it is amazing that reconciliation can take place at all, and it is. But CRY FREEDOM at time shows not much has really changed in many people's minds yet, and that the Black Africans' goal to FREEDOM and reconciliation is still ongoing. This is why if you're a novice to the situation, CRY FREEDOM, is your best introduction.

One film / Two different parts

[Avid_filmwatcher · 7/10 · 16 July 2021]

This film revolves around the relationship built up between Donald Woods, a white South African journalist portrayed by Kevin Kline and Steve Biko, a Black South African civil rights leader played by Denzel Washington, who is fighting against the ruthless government of Apartheid in that country in the late seventies.

The first part of the film (an hour and a half more or less) is undeniably the best one from my point of view. The fantastic interaction between the main actors,their compelling dialogues and great perfomances definitely contribute to it.

Unfortunately however, after a tragedy happens, the film loses intensity and pace by focusing too much on the figure of Donald Woods and the hardships he goes through rather than on what the main topic of the film should be: The struggle against Apartheid of a black man.

All in all, I am of the opinion that this is a good and necessary film with a crucial message we all should be aware of. Nevertheless, I also believe that, as one of the most important historical leaders in the struggle against institutionalised bigotry in South Africa, Steve Biko's character deserved to carry a bit more weight in the film. That way, Cry Freedom would have been better and more convincing in my opinion.

Disappointing. Good acting,not a very good film.

[Christian_Dimartino · 5/10 · 2 July 2010]

Kevin Kline and Denzel Washington star in Richard Attenborough's disappointing Cry freedom. Attenborough is usually good when it comes to biographies. I mean this is the genius behind Gandhi and Chaplain. But there is something wrong with Cry freedom: It's a little too shallow.I know they're just trying to tell a story, but the story isn't told very well.

The film takes place around the time of apartheid,which everyone should know about. Denzel Washington plays Steve Biko,a man who is standing up for apartheid. Within an hour of the film, he is taken to jail and is murdered. But nobody knows that he was murdered. They are told it's a disease. But somebody knows.

That somebody is a journalist named Donald Woods(played terrifically by Kevin Kline). He knows what actually happens,and he wants the world to know. But that doesn't go down well. People try to terrorize him and his family.

The acting is good. Especially from Kevin Kline. and I realize that Attenborough is just trying to tell a story. But the way it's told is kind of hollow. Also, I found the film a bit annoying. For one main reason: Towards the end, you just predict that something bad is going to happen. And something tragic happens about every five minutes.

I was disappointed. Another flaw: I realize that Gandhi was 3 hours long,but I still loved that movie. Cry freedom isn't three hours,and it's not as good. It actually felt too long. Overall, i'm giving it a thumbs down.

Cry freedom: C+

An ambitious, but a powerful, moving and compelling film

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 8 November 2009]

What a brilliant film. I will admit it is very ambitious, with the subject matter. At a little over two and a half hours, it is a very long film too. But neither of these pointers are flaws in any way. Cry Freedom, despite the minor flaws it may have, is a powerful, moving and compelling film about the story of the black activist Steve Biko in his struggles to awaken South Africa to the horrors of the apartheid. It is true, that the first half is stronger than the second in terms of emotional impact. People have also complained that the film suffers from too much Woods not enough Biko. I may be wrong, but although it is Biko's story, it is told in the perspective of Woods, so Woods is an important character in conveying Biko's story to the world.

Cry Freedom visually looks amazing. With the show-stopping cinematography and the stunning South African scenery it was a visual feast. The opening scenes especially were brilliantly shot. George Fenton's music brought real dramatic weight to most scenes. It was subtle in scenes in the second half, but stirring and dramatic in the crowd scenes. The script was of exceptional quality, the courtroom scenes with Biko were enough to really make you think wow this is real quality stuff. The first half with Biko as the main focus constantly had something to feel emotional about, whether it was the police's attack of the South African citizens or Biko's death. The second half entirely about Donald Woods carries less of an emotional punch, but is compensated by how it is shot, performed and written. And there are parts that are genuinely suspenseful as well.

The performances were exceptional from the entire cast, from the most minor character to the two leads, there wasn't a single bad performance. Regardless of the accents that is, but it is forgiven so easily by how much the performances draw you in. Denzel Washington in one of his more understated performances, gives a truly compelling performance as Biko, and Kevin Kline shows that he can be as good at drama as he is at comedy, for he gave a suitably subtle performance to match that of Washington's. And the two men's chemistry is believable and never strikes a false note. Penelope Wilton is lovely as Donald's wife Wendy, and she is a great actress anyway. Out the supporting performances, and there may be some bias, two stood out for me. One was Timothy West, who relishes his role as Captain DeWet. The other was the ever exceptional John Thaw in a brilliantly chilling cameo-role as Kruger. Lord Richard Attenborough's direction is focused and constantly sensitive as usual.

Overall, a truly wonderful film. Ambitious and long it is, but never ceases to be compelling, powerful and achingly moving. A definite winner from Lord Richard Attenborough, and worthy of a lot more praise. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Good Sir Attenborough epic

[michelerealini · 20 November 2004]

I saw the film for the first time in 1987, when it came out. I was touched by this story and I began being interested in other Sir Attenborough movies.

I think "Cry freedom" is not as strong as "Gandhi", nevertheless it's a movie worth to see. Because it talks about the struggles of Steven Biko, the anti-apartheid leader killed by South African government in '77. The film is seen with the eyes of Donald Woods, his friend journalist who quit the country with his family for being "too close to the black battles"...

The first part of the film is really excellent. Kevin Kline and Denzel Washington are extraordinary, the movie is a cinematic joy (good screenplay, good dialogues and good cinematography). The second part, when Woods (Kline) organizes the run of his family from South Africa, becomes more conventional and shot in a very "Hollywood style" (although the film is British!). The message of the movie is neglected in favour of a more spectacular plot.

By the way "Cry freedom" is a good movie because it talks about values like freedom, friendship and respect of human rights.

There is a new light on racism.

[microtd · 10/10 · 29 March 2000]

This is an absolutely incredible film. It shows South African racism from the perspective of the victims, and provokes a feeling of anti-racism in everyone who sees it. It is the best historic film I have ever seen.

Learn something about South Africa

[johnny-08 · 7/10 · 15 December 2007]

What is "Cry Freedom" like? It is simply great and unique experience about making of South Africa and how black people in that country were repressed by white people. Main character of the story is Donald Woods (Kevin Kline), chief editor of the newspaper Daily Dispatch in South Africa. Woods writes several articles, where he speaks critically about views of Steve Biko (Denzel Washington). Soon Woods meets Biko and he changes his views about him and he also begins to understand what authorities are doing to black people in South Africa (right from the top, even from the chief of police). When Biko dies in police custody, Woods decides that he have to write book about him and that no matter what he has to publish it. But Woods must escape from his country to get that book published and he must also put his family on second place, so world can find out the truth.

Attenborough managed to make a good movie about people, with main message that black and white are the same, cause we are all people. Story leads us to South Africa and this (movie) is great way for the whole world to learn what happened in that land and I'm disappointed that only 3200 people rated this movie. This is movie from which we all can learn something. Although it is a bit long, this story couldn't be presented in any shorter way because director wanted to show us how hard was for Woods to get that book published after death of Biko.

Also relationship between Woods and Biko was shown great, just like families of those two people and all the problems they are going through. But sometimes sacrifices must be made (Biko's death) so the truth could be reveled (Woods book).

Cry Out...

[praveen77 · 9/10 · 9 February 2009]

Richard Attenborough is a director whose name is synonymous with the Academy Award winning 'Gandhi', back in '83. I didn't know of any other work of his till i recently came across 'Cry Freedom', released back in 1987. While it may not have been as popular as his Gandhi, it is every bit as gripping, if not more, and was released when South Africa still had not got rid of the shackles of apartheid. While most movies on social issues come out after the event had happened, i guess this one released during the time.

The story is based on real life characters and events. The book on which the movie was based, was written by Donald Woods (Kevin Kline), a journalist who used to work in South Africa until the end of the seventies. It traces the origins of Woods friendship with the charismatic black leader Steve Biko, who is wonderfully portrayed by Denzel Washington. I cannot imagine a better choice for the role. Washington exudes a natural charm and screen presence, which Biko's character required.

While initially, Woods was against what he felt was black racism being spread by Biko, after meeting the man, he could not help being drawn into his struggles and ideas. The bond between them grows stronger, and Woods and his family realise and become more sensitive to the plight of the people Biko represents.

However, finally, tragedy strikes, and Woods must now concentrate on escaping from South Africa, with his book, so that he can get it published and let the outside world know what is going on. The second half of the movie is a gripping tale of his escape from South Africa, along with his family, and will keep you on tenterhooks.

There are some deliciously humorous dialogues too. The scene between Biko and the lawyer in the courtroom is an example.

Lawyer: Do you advocate violence? Biko: I advocate a confrontation. Lawyer: Well, isn't that violence, Mr. Biko? Biko: Not necessarily. You and I are having a confrontation now, but i don't see any violence.

However, there are moments that bring you back to the horrors that pervaded the country before better sense prevailed. The scene where the army opens fire on a protest by school children is gut wrenching and heartbreaking.

This is definitely a must watch. I would suggest those not familiar with Attenborough's work, do take time out for this. There are movies which make a lot of money. And there are movies which make lives. I would any day prefer the latter.

Artistic License

[astockton_uk · 7/10 · 13 August 2020]

In the movie, Donald Woods escapes with the manuscript of his book about Steve Biko. Actually, he had already written the book and smuggled it out page by page with visitors to his home while he was under the government's banning order, effectively sentencing him to house arrest.

By the time the Woods family escaped, the entire book was finished. But even if it were published under a pseudonym, the South African government would realize that only Woods could have written it. That would have landed him in prison because as a banned person, he could not publish anything either in or out of South Africa. It was the acid attack on his children, plus the desire to see his book published, that prompted their escape.

Powerful Cinema

[Eumenides_0 · 9/10 · 28 February 2010]

What a movie! I never imagined Richard Attenborough could have such a movie in him. Gandhi has always left me indifferent, apart from Ben Kingsley's performance, and I never considered Attenborough a particularly good filmmaker. But Cry Freedom held my interest like few movies have in recent times. It's an exciting, mesmerizing political movie with great performances by Kevin Kline and a young Denzel Washington.

Kline plays Donald Woods, a South Africa newspaper editor who befriends the civil rights activist Steve Biko. It starts as a difficult friendship, for Woods sees Biko as a black supremacist preaching hatred against whites. But Biko, with his kind words, upbeat attitude and complete transparency, wins over Woods and introduces him to a reality about Apartheid that Woods knew nothing about.

Biko is a decent, law-abiding citizen who altruistically stands up against all prejudice and the system that keeps down his people. One night, coming from an illegal meeting, he's arrested and beaten to death. The authorities try to hush up the matter because Biko has become a huge personality in South Africa. But through the efforts of Woods the truth comes out. But what should be a triumph only becomes a nightmare as Woods and his family become targets for the secret police.

This movie has an interesting structure. It has in fact two narratives: first it narrates the life and death of Biko. It's an amazing first half, completely dominated by the charisma of Washington in what may be his greatest performance yet.

The second half, no less interesting, narrates Woods attempt to escape from South Africa to publish a book about Biko. Woods has become an enemy of state, a banned person, which means he can't meet people or leave his country. Plus he's constantly spied by the police. Kevin Kline gives a great performance in this second half too.

Although the first half is quite straightforward, the second does interesting things with editing, by giving flashbacks of Biko and of events that show the repression against the black South Africans. Some may argue this is to make it more interesting, but for me the second half just as captivating, as Woods and his family devise a bold plan to escape South Africa.

The last minutes were so heartbreaking I was in tears. George Fenton and Jonas Gwangwa's score certainly had something to do with it. Although I've never been much of a fan of Fenton (cannot stand his Gandhi score), I do think the score for Cry Freedom is one of the most beautiful ever composed for cinema. The movie, thanks to the music married to the powerful images, at times reached incredible peaks of emotion.

Cry Freedom is definitely not a movie just to watch because of Denzel Washington. This is a movie to be cherished in its entirety. Acting, writing, music, editing, cinematography come together in a perfect synthesis to create an ode to the power of the human spirit. This movie deserve a place alongside movies like The Pianist, Life Is beautiful and The Shawshank Redemption.

Thrilling, then boring

[ragingbull_2005 · 6/10 · 20 August 2023]

Before he was the rebellious soldier in an Oscar winning turn in Glory (1989) or the charismatic Malcolm X (1992), Washington gave an early sign of his brilliance as Stephen Bilko, the charismatic Bantu leader of the blacks in apartheid- era South Africa, in Cry Freedom (1987).

Bilko was an early proponent of decolonizer of thoughts. He was a firm believer that the English system would make the Africans hate their own language and culture and believe that they were subservient to the White Afrikaans. Denzel is an inspired choice and does justice here.

The film lost its appeal in the second half and appeared rated when the mood swung to thrill of the chase from the initial drama.

This was Attenborough's next after Gandhi and he showcases his talent of creating scenes with literally hundreds of thousands of people here also.

However we could have done with better editing and a shorter run time.

Excellent film handling a difficult topic

[doodygray · 10/10 · 14 January 2007]

This is a film that everyone should watch. Quite apart from raising hugely important points (while South Africa is on the road to recovery there are still many countries in similar situations now), it is superbly directed while Denzel Washington gives, in my opinion, the best performance in his career so far. Kline also gives a good performance, although perhaps not as stunning as Washington's. John Thaw also puts in a good turn as the Chief of Police.

There are so many possible areas where a film on apartheid could fall down, but all of these have been avoided. It would be easy to simply portray white people as the bad guys and black people as the good guys, but Attenborough has not done this. Sure, there were some white characters who seemed inherently evil, such as the Captain at the Soweto uprising, but to add extra dimensions to all the characters would make the film unbearably long. Some people complain about the length of the film as it is, but I think it needs the whole two and a half hours to tell the whole story, for it really is an incredible one.

The best scene in the film is that of Steve Biko's funeral. When the whole crowd begins to sing the South African national anthem, it is probably one of, if not the most moving scenes I have seen.

If you haven't seen this film already: watch it. It may not be comfortable viewing, but it's certainly worth it.

Menacing

[gcd70 · 6/10 · 20 November 2007]

The story of Stephen Biko is told in very simple language by epic film director Richard Attenborough. "Cry Freedom" is in no way understated, yet it is subtle when required and forceful when needed, unlike the recent, gratuitous "Power of One", which went way too far. This is a well restrained and perfectly balanced film.

Denzel Washington's Biko and Kevin Kline's 'Donald Woods' are both very well portrayed, George Fenton's African music is wonderful and the cinematography is at times show stopping.

It's a menacing look at a country which even to this day, has a long way to go before a humanitarian balance is in place.

Sunday, May 30, 1993 - T.V.

A terrible missed opportunity.

[geoffdennis · 1/10 · 19 July 2006]

There was a great film to be made about Steve Biko. Sadly this wasn't it. Denzel Washington - never the most flexible of actors - is totally unable to convey the great charisma that Biko had. Attenborough's big crowd scenes are laughable. The Soweto massacre wasn't like this, three neat lines of children ( some doing cartwheels!) marching happily into the guns of the soldiers. With Biko dead the film rapidly descends into farce. If the struggle against Apartheid was anything it was a black people's struggle yet somehow we are all supposed to be gripped by the escape of a white man and his family. I'm sure Donald Woods was a decent man and he would be the first to say that Biko was important while he wasn't. Penelope Wilton's accent is pure Hampshire and she seems completely unaware that she is in South Africa at all. at all. The Wood's family dog gets more lines than the black maid. As the family make their escape one the women I saw the film with - incidentally one of only about a dozen black people in a large, full cinema - whispered "This is like the sound of music." She had a point.

Overall this is a film by a well-intentioned if somewhat inept white liberal about a radical black people's struggle. And really South Africa needs well-intentioned white liberals like it needs a hole in the head.