Schrei nach Freiheit

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!

Cry Freedom was such a touching, unforgettable film. The acting was amazing, and they picked the perfect cast. I watched this at my school last year for the first time, and the first scene made me want to cry! Cry Freedom made me laugh, cry, confused, and made me just want to scream at those people who treated blacks cruelly! I recommend you rent this movie. 10/10

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.

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.

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.