Cry Freedom is a film about the political awakening of white South African journalist Donald Woods after meeting black activist Stephen Biko during Apartheid in the mid-1970s. The film was produced prior to the end of Apartheid in 1994 and was based on the experiences of Woods who fled South Africa following the murder of Biko in order to publish books about the activist. Cry Freedom, along with the song "Biko" by Peter Gabriel, played a role in making Steve Biko a more widely known figure around the world, and also helped make a star of Denzel Washington, who received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Biko. The film is sometimes criticized as a "white savior" movie since it's primarily about Woods rather than Biko himself, but the political transformation depicted in the film is significant in its own right. Woods pursues the truth and is eventually convinced by Biko's radical argument, and as a result faced potentially severe consequences himself. Cry Freedom deserves credit for showing how systems of oppression operate, as well as for depicting the lengths people must go to in order to oppose such regimes.

This movie was very interesting especially, since I don't know anything about South Africa and important events that have occurred there. It stars Kevin Kline as Donald Woods who is an editor for a liberal newspaper and hears how black activists have been causing trouble for the apartheid government. One activist, Steve Biko, who Woods disagrees with because he wishes for black South Africans to separate themselves from white South Africans ways of thinking and start thinking for themselves. Woods eventually change his opinion about Biko and once Biko shows Woods how blacks were oppressed in South Africa wants to support him. This becomes even more true when Biko is thrown in prison and tortured to death.Woods finds out what happened to Biko in prison and that the apartheid covered up how he died. Woods is determined to tell the true story even though he is being threatened by the apartheid.The direction and characterization was great especially Denzel Washington as Steve Biko. The style of the film was interesting as it was told in a documentary style, which some people might find the pacing too slow. The scenes where the activists and the protesters are shot by the National Party in South Africa are more disturbing than most movies because it shows whats happening without any cutting and in a documentary style. This is a great movie to watch for people who like watching important historical movies about a few amazing people.

In some ways it's a weaker film than "Gandhi" – a lot of the tension feels manufactured, even though the story is true. But on the other hand, the sheer emotional power of the strongest scenes, like the massacre in Soweto surpass anything in "Gandhi".While many understandably had trouble with making this the story of a white man -- liberal editor Donald Woods and his family's escape from South Africa after he was banned -- instead of focusing the film on Woods friend Stephen Biko, I still felt the film worked, and was an effective plea to the world to do something about South Africa. Both Denzel Washington and Kevin Klein are very good, although I've found both even stronger in other films.

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!