Simon Dillon reviews the film

Amazing Grace, the powerful story of 18th century politician William Wilberforce and his lifelong campaign to bring about the abolition of slavery, takes its title from the hymn written by slave trader turned Christian John Newton. There are various renditions of this classic hymn throughout the film, including a stirring bagpipe rendition which unfortunately will remind any sci-fi fan of the finale of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. However, it is an appropriate recurring motif for what is an undeniably powerful and moving experience - a good watch for the casual viewer, and nothing less than a must-see for Christians.

Ioan Grufford is captivating in the lead role. As well as providing the requisite scenery chewing political speeches, he proves excellent at portraying Wilberforce's eccentricities, which included often inviting beggars to eat in his home and keeping endless wounded animals as pets. His friendship with Prime Minister William Pitt (a well-cast Benedict Cumberbatch), who out of political expediency had to remain publicly neutral on abolition, is also believable and interesting. When he meets his wife-to-be Barbara (Romola Garai) at a moment when he has all but given up, their romantic liaison gives him a second wind to take up the abolition cause again, even though he was plagued with sickness. The "love of a good woman" subplot may be a cliché, but it rings true, probably because this is based on a true story.

Grufford, Cumberbatch and Garai get excellent support from more well known actors. Rufus Sewell is fun to watch as Wilberforce's quirky abolitionist colleague Thomas Clarkson. Ciaran Hinds contributes a terrific performance as Wilberforce's arch rival in parliament, Lord Tarleton, and Michael Gambon is great as rival politician turned abolitionist Charles Fox. Best of all, Albert Finney's deeply moving portrayal of John Newton gives the film a strong emotional boost.

Steven Knight's screenplay is structured via somewhat awkward flashbacks, which frankly rob the story of dramatic momentum, and by ambitiously romping through Wilberforce's entire political career, certain (understandable) dramatic liberties are taken. As a result, the film has a slightly episodic feel, and it falls short of great cinema. However, director Michael Apted helms the picture solidly, and whilst I would have preferred a film on the subject of slavery to be a bit more gruesome and hard-hitting, I understand why the decision was taken to make this picture more accessible with its PG rating.

Despite this, what makes Amazing Grace a must-see for every Christian are its spiritual lessons. When discussing his conversion, Newton tells Wilberforce that sometimes God uses drizzle instead of a wave to bring about change, and it is this drip-drip of political manoeuvring to bring about a change in opinion that ultimately brought about the abolition of slavery. When Wilberforce is converted, he dithers about whether he should serve God or go into politics. He is torn until someone points out that he is called to serve God through politics. This point is more vitally important than ever at a time when the United Kingdom is under threat from increasingly insidiously anti-Christian legislation. It is my sincere prayer that Christians called to the political arena see this film, get a revelation that like Wilberforce they must be in the world but not of the world, and are inspired to take up whatever challenges they must face. For that reason alone, Amazing Grace is the single most important film for Christians since The Passion of the Christ.