Movie · 2019 · Drama, History · 2h 5m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 4.3/10 (110.4K ratings)
Be free or die
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.
Ratings
Curator score: 4.3/10
IMDb: 6.8/10
Letterboxd: 3.41/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 74%
Metacritic: 66
TMDB: 7.3/10
Director
Kasi Lemmons
Production
Stay Gold Features, Martin Chase Productions, Perfect World Pictures, Focus Features
Cast
Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., Janelle Monáe, Clarke Peters, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Omar J. Dorsey, Henry Hunter Hall, Joseph Lee Anderson, Antonio J Bell, Zackary Momoh, Alexis Louder, Aria Brooks, Joe Alwyn, Tim Guinee, Nick Basta, CJ McBath, Frank Riley III, Daphne Maxwell Reid, Jenna Marie Hess, Kathryn Tkel
Where to watch
Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A respectful, handsomely mounted historical drama anchored by Cynthia Erivo’s strong performance, but it often plays like a conventional prestige biopic rather than a fully alive portrait of Harriet Tubman. The film has stirring moments, yet uneven pacing and a cautious script keep it from matching the power of its subject.
Best for
Viewers who want an accessible introduction to Harriet Tubman’s life
Fans of performance-driven historical dramas
Audiences who appreciate period production design and cinematography
People looking for an inspirational, broadly inspirational civil-rights-era story
Skip if
You want a boldly original or formally adventurous biopic
You’re sensitive to generic prestige-movie structure
You prefer films that dig deeply into politics and historical complexity
You want a harsher, less sanitized depiction of slavery and resistance
Overview
Harriet Tubman’s story is so extraordinary that any film about her begins with an enormous advantage. Harriet benefits from that built-in force, and Cynthia Erivo gives the role real gravity, intelligence, and emotional steadiness. When the movie leans into Tubman’s resolve, faith, and tactical brilliance, it can be genuinely stirring.
Worth noting
The problem is that the film too often settles for familiar biopic rhythms. Scenes move efficiently but not always memorably, and some of the most fascinating material feels compressed or underexplored. The result is competent and often polished, but rarely as urgent or surprising as the life it portrays.
Bottom line
Still, there’s enough craft here to make it worthwhile for viewers drawn to historical drama, especially those who value strong central performances and a clear, inspirational narrative. It’s a solid film about a towering figure, even if it never quite becomes a great one.
Top Letterboxd reviews
MaryAnn 🌵 (4★) · 1702 likes
PUT HARRIET TUBMAN ON THE $20 BILL YOU COWARDS!
🌻 lindsay 🌻 (3★) · 1250 likes
This kind of annoyed me because Harriet Tubman has SUCH an amazing and interesting story and it’s crazy that there hasn’t already been a movie about her. But she deserved a better movie than this one honestly.
Cynthia Erivo did a really great job and Janelle Monae stood out too (as she always does). And the cinematography was absolutely gorgeous. But it just wasn’t enough to make this work for me.
The script was just really lacking power. It was… more
maria (2.5★) · 624 likes
really great until the movie gets in the way
matt lynch (2.5★) · 313 likes
Some interesting threads get tugged a little here, about stark differences of class and gender and education among slaves and black abolitionists alike, but not hard enough to overcome what's mostly some very generic biopic stuff. And personally I would have loved a lot more of Tubman's Union Army career.