Harriet

“Be free or die”

7.3

2019

2h 5m

DramaHistory

Director: Kasi Lemmons

Watch on Netflix

Overview

The extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman's escape from slavery and transformation into one of America's greatest heroes. Her courage, ingenuity and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history.

Trailer

Official Trailer Official

Cast

Harriet Tubman

Cynthia Erivo

Harriet Tubman

William Still

Leslie Odom Jr.

William Still

Marie Buchanon

Janelle Monáe

Marie Buchanon

Ben Ross

Clarke Peters

Ben Ross

Rit Ross

Vanessa Bell Calloway

Rit Ross

Bigger Long

Omar J. Dorsey

Bigger Long

Walter

Henry Hunter Hall

Walter

Robert Ross

Joseph Lee Anderson

Robert Ross

Henry Ross

Antonio J Bell

Henry Ross

John Tubman

Zackary Momoh

John Tubman

Jane

Alexis Louder

Jane

Anger (8)

Aria Brooks

Anger (8)

Reviews

SWITCH.

'Harriet' stumbles in its clichéd storytelling and focus on going for gold - but that's not to undermine the fantastic acting, groundbreaking music, and of course the incredible true story of Harriet Tubman's bravery. With Black Lives Matter, the fight to end violence and systemic racism towards black people is rooted in the United States' DNA and 'Harriet', and sadly serves as yet another reminder of the constant mistreatment of African Americans. Films about slavery are still relevant, as that same discrimination is still taking place today. I want to end with lyrics from the film's song 'Stand Up' which feel very potent: “I'm going to stand up, take my people with me, together we are going, to a brand-new home.“ - Chris dos Santos Read Chris' full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-harriet-a-flawed-harriet-tubman-biopic-with-a-phenomenal-performance

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CinemaSerf

Cynthia Erivo delivers really strongly here as the eponymous woman who strives to escape generations of enslavement herself, then work to free her family and her race from the brutal oppression of their overlords. This characterisation of her sheer determination, coupled with a feistiness and courage is indeed well captured but sadly the rest of this is little better than an ordinary television movie. It's not that anyone is especially bad, it's just that none - especially Joe Alwyn's "Brodess" - really cut through. Janelle Monáe doesn't feature often enough to make too much impact and the rest rather follows a precisely produced narrative that failed to inject any real sense of the menace faced by this woman swimming against a societal tide that few had dared before her. It's all just a bit too clean, too sterile and even at it's emotional height - well, I just kept thinking someone was going to give us a song. Maybe it would have had more impact that way? There's also too little emphasis on her work as a "freedom fighter" - a sort of Robin Hood style of character determined to emancipate her people with a bare minimum of violence and spurning the more obvious instincts of revenge upon her former persecutors. The message is there, OK, but it relies far too much on the presumed attitudes of the audience rather than powerfully demonstrate the bleakness of her prospects and the injustice of their psychologically shackled existence. It's watchable enough, but sadly just a little too underwhelming.

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