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12 Years a Slave

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12 Years a Slave

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Summary

Period drama based on a true story, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender. Solomon Northup is a black man living free with his family in 1800s New York, that is until he is kidnapped and sold to a plantation owner in the Deep South. Escape is never far from his mind, but as the years pass by his resolve is sorely tested.

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Review

A star rating of 5 out of 5.

Leslie Felperin

Aside from the milestone 1970s mini-series Roots, Quentin Tarantino's revenge fantasy Django Unchained, and a handful of others, there have been precious few films about slavery in the US told from the point of view of the enslaved. At the very least, director Steve McQueen's adaptation of Solomon Northup's memoir (which was previously adapted for TV in 1984, starring Avery Brooks) represents essential viewing for correcting that imbalance. The added bonus is that it's also a tremendously powerful piece of cinema, a tale of suffering, endurance, courage and abiding humanity about a freeborn man kidnapped and sold into slavery, which packs all the more wallop for the elegance with which it's made. Yes, the scenes where characters are brutalised and tortured are shocking in the extreme. However, McQueen tempers that horror with a bravura display of directorial craft, so that the most emotionally devastating moments - for instance, a long-held close-up of Northup singing - arrive with maximum force. Chiwetel Ejiofor's restrained, finely modulated lead performance fully deserves all the praise that's been heaped upon it, but the supports, especially Lupita Nyong'o and Michael Fassbender, are no less impressive.

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8.1/10

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Credits

Cast

rolenameSolomon NorthupChiwetel EjioforEdwin EppsMichael FassbenderFordBenedict CumberbatchTibeatsPaul DanoArmsbyGarret DillahuntFreemanPaul GiamattiBrownScoot McNairyPatseyLupita Nyong'oElizaAdepero OduyeMistress EppsSarah PaulsonBassBrad PittRobertMichael Kenneth WilliamsMistress ShawAlfre WoodardHamiltonTaran KillamRadburnBill CampMargaret NorthupQuvenzhané Wallis

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Crew

rolenameDirectorSteve McQueen (2)

Details

Theatrical distributor

Entertainment One

Released on

2014-01-10

Languages

English

Guidance

Violence, racist language, sex scenes, nudity.

Available on

DVD and Blu-ray

Formats

Colour

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