The true story of the friendship that shook South Africa and awakened the world.
Overview
A dramatic story, based on actual events, about the friendship between two men struggling against apartheid in South Africa in the 1970s. Donald Woods is a white liberal journalist in South Africa who begins to follow the activities of Stephen Biko, a courageous and outspoken black anti-apartheid activist.
Ratings
Curator score: 5.0/10
IMDb: 7.4/10
Letterboxd: 3.57/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 73%
Metacritic: 59
TMDB: 7.0/10
Director
Richard Attenborough
Production
Universal Pictures, Marble Arch Productions
Cast
Kevin Kline, Denzel Washington, Penelope Wilton, Kate Hardie, John Matshikiza, Zakes Mokae, John Thaw, Kevin McNally, John Hargreaves, Juanita Waterman, Julian Glover, Josette Simon, Timothy West, Miles Anderson, Ian Richardson, Andrew McCulloch, Gerald Sim, Gary Whelan, Glen Murphy, Peter Cartwright
Curator Review
Verdict
A sincere, old-school prestige drama with real force in its central performances, especially Denzel Washington as Steve Biko. It’s historically important and often moving, but the film’s white-led framing and conventional biopic shape keep it from feeling fully alive.
Best for
viewers interested in apartheid history and political dramas
fans of earnest 1980s prestige filmmaking
people who want an early showcase for Denzel Washington
audiences okay with a message-driven, classical style
Skip if
you want a Black-centered perspective on anti-apartheid struggle
you’re allergic to earnest, awards-era biopic pacing
you prefer lean, modern political thrillers over stately dramas
Overview
Cry Freedom is the kind of earnest prestige drama that wears its convictions on its sleeve. Richard Attenborough stages apartheid-era South Africa with seriousness and scale, and the film’s strongest material comes when it confronts the brutality of the system head-on or lets Steve Biko’s intelligence and charisma fill the frame.
Worth noting
Denzel Washington is the clear standout, giving Biko a magnetic authority that makes the movie’s best scenes feel urgent and alive. Kevin Kline is solid as Donald Woods, but the film’s choice to filter so much of the story through his perspective is still its most debated feature, and it keeps the drama from feeling as centered or as radical as its subject deserves.
Bottom line
As a historical drama, it remains worthwhile: informative, emotionally direct, and often gripping in a classical, late-80s way. As a film about apartheid, it is also a reminder of how often mainstream cinema approached liberation struggles through a cautious, outsider lens.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Rafael "Mister Movie" Jovine (3★) · 129 likes
Starring: King Kong Ain’t Got Sh!t On Denzel
Denzel Washington's career is on the upswing as he co-stars in this biopic epic drama directed by Richard Attenborough, who has established himself in the genre by this point. This time, Washington earns the first of many Oscar nods for his portrayal of Steve Biko, a resistance leader and martyr under Apartheid. Despite his brief appearance, the actor manages to embody the character's presence, intelligence, and even vulnerability, drawing in the audience.… more
Cellar Door L (4★) · 100 likes
Therw is soo many savage quotes on this one but here's my personal best :
"Why do you people call yourselves black? You look more brown than black?""Why do YOU call yourselved white? you look more pink than white."
LMFAOOO, bars.
Sam (3.5★) · 93 likes
My review is going to be pretty brief for this one, but it's a pretty good dramatic adaptation of the friendship between Donald Woods and Steve Biko and highlights the struggles and brutality of Apartheid. Denzel Washington is pitch-perfect as Biko, and the showcase of the brutality of this period feels honest and showcases brutality which often went unshown at the time, and it entirely serves its purpose as a wake-up call for a general audience. It's not entirely without… more My review is going to be pretty brief for this one, but it's a pretty good dramatic adaptation of the friendship between Donald Woods and Steve Biko and highlights the struggles and brutality of Apartheid. Denzel Washington is pitch-perfect as Biko, and the showcase of the brutality of this period feels honest and showcases brutality which often went unshown at the time, and it entirely serves its purpose as a wake-up call for a general audience. It's not entirely without… more
Albie Hay (3★) · 54 likes
Richard Attenborough, while worth every bit of his praise as an actor, has to have been one of the most boring directors ever. Even Gandhi, which I love, I'm beginning to think is insufferably worthy. Aside from Oh! What a Lovely War, his films are thoroughly sincere yet leave a thoroughly nondescript taste in the mouth; Cry Freedom, while it initially promises otherwise, is no exception.
Set in South Africa in the late '70s, it tells the story of two… more
"Cry Freedom is a drama film directed by Richard Attenborough. Always accustomed to directing something of a world event in an epic filmmaking style, Attenborough this round draws his attention to the apartheid-era South Africa of the 1970's. This story is especially drawn from two books written by Donald Woods, who is notably played by Kevin Kline within the film. Woods is a journalist that comes to find commonality Steve Biko (Denzel Washington), a black activist for the South African… more "Cry Freedom is a drama film directed by Richard Attenborough. Always accustomed to directing something of a world event in an epic filmmaking style, Attenborough this round draws his attention to the apartheid-era South Africa of the 1970's. This story is especially drawn from two books written by Donald Woods, who is notably played by Kevin Kline within the film. Woods is a journalist that comes to find commonality Steve Biko (Denzel Washington), a black activist for the South African… more
1989 · Drama, Thriller · 1h 47m · R · Curator 5.6/10 (11.4K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM Plus, Philo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Another apartheid-era drama that confronts state violence and moral complicity with a similarly serious, issue-driven approach.