Review of 12 Years a Slave (2013) by Foxgrove — 20 Oct 2013

This year's supposed Oscar front runner is a well crafted but brutalising drama about slavery that certainly makes you comprehend the horror of it all. Not quite the masterpiece that I was hoping for but good never the less. Steve McQueen's direction has the scope of an epic but the feel is really quite intimate. The writing is so wonderful that at times it feels almost poetic and the actors articulate every word to perfection. Period detail is also tops and the cinematography is just ravishing in its beauty, possibly the best I have seen this year so far. The Music also, which has a similarity to McQueen's 'Shame', adds gravitas.

Amongst a veritable feast of performances only Brad Pitt's indifferent turn fails to hit the mark. I was particularly impressed with Paul Dano (always a good baddie) as Benedict Cumberbatch's power obsessed over seer; Michael Fassbender as the cruel plantation owner; Sarah Paulson as his cold and jealous wife and Lupita Nyong'o as the tragic Patsey. In the lead role as Solomon, kidnapped from his home and sold into slavery for 12 years, Chiwetel Ejiofor conveys with frustration and anger the injustice of the situation in which he finds himself. It is a subtle and impressive performance which culminates in a well earned emotional pay of when he and his family are finally re-united. In all honesty it is only a slight over length and minuscule repetition that prevents this important story from achieving true movie greatness.