Harriet, the biopic of Harriet Tubman, spent years in development. But it all went smoothly once filming started. Here's the end result.
Harriet Tubman (Cynthia Erivo) was born into slavery as Araminta Ross. She married a freedman, John Tubman (Zackary Momoh). Her cruel master, Edward Brodress (Mike Marunde), cheats her out of her freedom. When Brodress dies, his son, Gideon (Joe Alwyn), decides to sell Araminta downriver. This drives Araminta to escape up to Pennsylvania. She's welcomed into the Anti-Slavery Society by William Still (Leslie Odom Jr), joins the Underground Railroad and takes on the name of Harriet Tubman.
Harriet goes back and forth to the South to free the slaves. Among her first rescues are her brothers. Soon enough, "Moses," as she is nicknamed, has an ever increasing bounty on her head. Gideon is ready and willing to collect. He has two Black slavetrackers, Walter (Henry Hunter Hall) and Bigger Long (Omar J. Dorsey), to help him. Harriet's mission is further complicated by the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act. But she won't rest until her family is led to safety.
Cynthia Erivo makes a great choice as Harriet. Her plight and drive is compelling. We see Harriet pull off subterfuge on par with The Scarlet Pimpernel. She's more than willing to fight if needed. Throughout the film, she has visions of the future, which she attributes to God. It's somewhat over-dramatic, though not entirely out of place in this grounded film. One of the visions drives Walter to have a Heel-Face Turn; it's a bit abrupt, though an interesting development.
And the villains. Alwyn as Gideon is a capably vile man. He believes he's doing the right thing by hunting Harriet, but his callous racism voids any sympathy from the audience. Even his "rescue" of Harriet from Bigger Long has a selfish motivation. Meanwhile, his mother, Eliza (Jennifer Nettles), has an almost sympathetic motivation to keep her Farm alive - keyword is "almost." Marunde as Edward perfectly fails to endear himself to the audience. Bigger makes for a brutal co-antagonist.
A few more highlights from the cast include Janelle Monae as Harriet's friend, Marie Buchannen, Clark Peters as Harriet's father, Ben, and Kathryn Tkel as Tilly, a rescued slave who pulls off a bit of her own subterfuge.
Now for the technicals. Harriet's visions are presented by cinematographer John Toll with eerie washed-out color. His nighttime cinematography is alluring. So is the production design by Walter Allan Young; Marie's boarding house is splendid. Terence Blanchard's score includes a few strong hymns for Harriet to sing. The makeup department convincingly ages Harriet and the cast through the years. Editor Wyatt Smith builds the tension as Harriet undertakes her missions. Their work should get some Academy consideration.
Director Kasi Lemmons and her co-writer, Gregory Allen Howard, create a compelling biopic with Harriet. Whatever flaws it may have barely impede it. Its 125 minutes present the story of a woman who sought to end a certain injustice. Some may question why the final confrontation plays out like it does - but it makes sense as a form of cruel mercy. See it at least once and you might learn something new.
Historical liberties not withstanding.
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