the true story of the friendship that shake south africa and awaken the world . richard attenborough and who direct a bridge too far and gandhi and want to bring the story of steve biko to life and and the journey and trouble that journalist donald wood go through in order to get his story tell . the films us wood two book for it information and basis biko and ask for trouble . the film take place in the late 1970 and in south africa . south africa be in the grip of the terrible apartheid and which keep the black separate from the white and classify the white a the superior race . the black be force to live in shantytown on the outskirt of the city and town and and they come under frequent harassment by the police and the army . we be show a dawn raid on a shantytown and a bulldozer and arm police force their way through the camp beating and even kill the inhabitant . then we be introduce to donald wood ( kevin kline ) and who be the editor of a popular newspaper . after publish a negative story about black activist steve biko ( denzel washington ) and wood go to meet with him . the two be wary of each other at first and but they soon become good friend and biko show the horror of the apartheid system from a black person point of view to wood . this encourage wood to speak out against what happen around him and and make him desperate to bring steve biko story out of the clutch of the white man south africa and to the world . soon and steve biko be arrest and be kill in prison . now wood and his family be dare to escape from south africa to england and where wood can publish his book about steve biko and the apartheid . when i first heard of cry freedom and i be under the impression that it be a movie completely dedicate to the life of steve biko . i have never actually hear of steve biko before i see this film and a the event in this film be really before my time . but it more about the story of donald wood and his journey across the border into lesotho a he try to elude the south african official . wood be put on a five year type house arrest after steve biko be kill . so in order to publish his manuscript on steve biko and he have to escape . because the manuscript would be consider treason in south africa and that could have result in wood meet a fate similar to that of biko . the real donald wood and his wife act a consultant to this film . denzel washington be only in the film for the first hour and and i be disappoint with that a i be expect to see him for the entire movie . but he be amaze a steve biko and and capture his personality from what i have read really well and his accent sound perfect . his performance earn him an oscar nomination for best support actor . kevin kline delivers a excellent and think evoke performance a donald wood and and penelope wilton be excellent a his wife wendy . film take place in zimbabwe and a needless to say problem arise when they try to film it in south africa . while in south africa and the south african gestapo follow the film crew everywhere and so they get the bad vibe and they pull out and go to neighbour zimbabwe instead . despite everything and and the fact that the apartheid do not end til seven year later and cry freedom wasn not ban in south africa . but cinemas show the movie receive bomb threat . richard attenborough bring the horror of the apartheid to the screen with extreme force and determination . he doesn not hold back at the end of the movie when show what be suppose to be a peaceful protest by student in a shantytown and turn into a massacre when police open fire on them . the film end with the name of all the anti apartheid mover who die in prison and and the explanation for their death . many have no explanation . quite a few be epilepsy and which be hard to believe and and many more either fell from the top of the stair or be suicide from hang . no one will ever know what really happen to them and but i think it fair to say that none of these men die at their own hand and but at the hand of others while or to be more precise and at the hand of the police . cry freedom be a must see movie for it portrayal and story of steve biko . it also a searing and devastate portrayal of a beautiful land divide and in the hellish grip of racial segregation and violence .