12 Years A Slave stars Chiwetel Ejifor as Solomon Northrup, a free black man in 1840s America. He makes his living as a fiddle player, and his wife is teacher. He is shanghaied by a pair of nefarious white men, and soon finds himself on a ship headed to New Orleans where he is informed he will be called Platt and is sold into slavery by an unscrupulous businessman Theophilus Freeman (played by Paul Giamatti). As he tolls away for the kindhearted but conflicted plantation owner Mr. Ford (played by Benedict Cumberbatch), who recognizes that Platt is both educated and an artist, he butts heads with Ford's underlings, especially the casually cruel Tibeats (played by Paul Dano). After they have a violent altercation, Ford fears for his slave's life and sells him to Mr. Epps (played by Michael Fassbender), an alcoholic sadist who owns a cotton plantation. Through Epps reads from the bible to his property, as he frequently refers to his slaves, he is himself not immune to sins of the flesh. He has taken the young Patsey (played by Lupita Nyong'o)( his best cotton picker) as his lover, and this doesn't sit well at all with his severe wife (played by Sarah Paulson), whose particular hatred for blacks and her jealousy fuels her many degrading actions toward Patsey. Solomon bides his time, attempts to preserve a modicum of self-respect, and waits for the chance to reclaim his rightful name as well as his family.
This film is a cinematic masterpiece. Now let me state that I do not support slavery, but this is film and I have to give my opinion on this particular movie and this is one of my hardest film to review to date. This is one of the best films I have ever seen, Every actor and actress in the film give masterful performances (especially Ejifor and Fassbender). I will say that this film is one of the hardest films to watch as some parts of the film are violent and disturbing, and i will admit that I did cry because I just felt so bad for Solomon Northrup and all of the struggles and hardships he had to endure. The performances of Ejifor, Fassbender, and Nyong'o as well as the movie look to be serious Oscar contenders and winners. Overall I give the film a 10 out of 10.
So ladies and gentlemen what did you think of 12 Years A Slave, what would you rate it and what did you think of my review? Let me know in the comments and let your voice be heard.
Jonah Sparks
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