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Produced on a budget of $20 million by director Steve McQueen - this historical adaptation
of Solomon Northup's 1853 memoir of the same name has grossed over $90 in profit since
its November 8, 2013 release. Filmed on location around historic antebellum plantations in
Louisiana, we follow the heartbreakingly painful true story of Northup, a free black man who
is kidnapped and sold into slavery. After declaring, "I don't want to survive. I want
to live", he suffers through is captivity... constantly hoping for salvation. Chiwetel
Ejiofor is positively remarkable as the imprisoned, but well-educated slave, deservedly earning
an Oscar-nomination. Even if playing a beaten down slave is sort of a "gimme"-role. A long
time character actor, it's great to see Ejiofor truly shine in a lead role that explores the
depths of perseverance, and refusing
to be victimized. Meanwhile, Michael Fassbender is extraordinarily evil as the violent slave-owner,
taunting his "property" just for sport. The breakout performer here though is Lupita Nyong'o.
Although she doesn't have much screen time in her film debut, she bears her soul in the
picture's centerpiece: a single, unbroken, five-minute shot that has her being whipped
against a post, constantly crying out in pain. It's an unsettling sequence that's masterfully
filmed from a hand-held camera, aided by Hans Zimmer's moody score. Extremely talented individuals
like Paul Giamatti, Alfre Woodard, Brat Pitt, and Paul Dano are relegated to criminally
minor roles. The slow-moving 131-minute film shows us that even the polite white people
are still ignorant racists. Littered with uncomfortable, but period-accurate language,
the lush land of the deep south is vividly brought to life with beautiful cinematography
and impeccable costumes and art-design. One major flaw, is that outside of its title - the
film does a poor job of indicating the passage of time. We never see evidence that Ejiofor
was enslaved beyond a season or two. Objectively, I can't deny that this film is extremely well-made,
but remove the "kidnapping twist", and this R-rated story is an extremely familiar one
- drawing many parallels to "Roots", "Shawshank Redemption", and "Glory" - and in each instance,
the original did it better. When the depressing, bittersweet ending finally arrives, this picture
left me applauding the artistry of those involved, but otherwise indifferent. "12 Years A Slave",
"Derivative story, but wonderfully presented." Here are your thoughts now from the YouTube
comments.
A NINE and a SEVEN for "12 Years A Slave". You felt the depiction was brilliant, especially
the acting and subject matter, rating this an AWESOME. Technically speaking, I completely
agree... I just can't shake the feeling that this story, these performances, have all been
done before. I'll give it a strong COOL.