Have you ever heard of William Wilberforce? I hadn't. This film is centered on a man I had never heard of. Maybe it is my ignorance of history, or perhaps the education system is to blame, as I do not recall this figure ever being mentioned in my years of classes.

Whatever the case is, I learned about an important figure with a somewhat unfortunate name. And, before you say it, no I do not accept everything shown in this film as fact; I am aware that many elements may have been touched up, switched, or slightly reimagined in the search of drama, while not betraying the core truths of the tale. The end result is an interesting portrait of a man who was good and worked towards that end for his entire life.

The story covers Wilberforce's life in broad strokes. It is more a film about the movement and the changes that he helped to bring about, rather than the life of the man. This is perfectly evidenced by the lack of any real growth, or connection with anyone in the film. Sure, we see that he is friends with Pitt the Younger, and married to Barbara, and approached by Thomas Clarkson and others to spearhead the movement, but the relationships are more sketched than fully developed.

Would it have been nice to see these in more detail? Yes, it would, it would have made the film stand out more to see more of the person than to just know that he was good. At the same time, it is nice to see an inspirational film like this that doesn't give us a flawed hero — instead, we get someone who has a good heart and puts forth the effort necessary. Is it historically accurate? I have no idea, and frankly, I don't care.

Wilberforce is a young political upstart and idealist, seeing the evil of slavery and seeking to end the practice, he leads a small group against the entrenched pro-slavery crew that is currently in charge. The movie follows him as he struggles against the English political machine in his efforts to win them over, one at a time. While the story is intriguing, and relatively well told, it circumvents most of the character development in favor of hitting the big emotional points and allowing for much oratory.

Michael Apted's direction of Steven Knight's script is earnest. It moves forward in such a way that you never doubt what is going to happen next, and despite it being quite interesting, it is devoid of any real dramatic tension. This coupled with the lack of true character development are what hold this film back. Still, Apted does a fine job of dropping us right into 18th century England. You will feel that you are there, on the crowded streets, in the card rooms, everywhere Wilberforce goes.