January 31, 2014.
Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano.
Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano.
Director: Steve Mcqueen.
“I don’t think I have seen
a story like that of Solomon Northup on film and I wanted to make damn sure if
it was on film it was going to be done well”. This is the statement that Steve
Mcqueen made when asked about 12 Years a Slave.
Nothing defines the film
better than the above statement. The film starts off in New York in 1841 where
Solomon (Chiwetel) is a very well respected musician who has a wife and two
children. He is trapped and sold into slavery by his acquaintances.
From then on the director
takes us on a 12 year journey in the life of Solomon. Solomon is first bought
by Mr.Ford (Cumberbatch) who is a very decent man and at a level empathises
with Solomon, yet helpless. When Solomon gets into a fight with one of Ford’s
employees he is forced to move under the ownership of the cruel and abusive Edwin
Epps (Fassbender).
The film takes on a
realistic approach to the whole incident right from the beginning and violence
and abuse have been portrayed in a very effective way that really disturbs the
audience most of the time. Two such scenes that stand out and really give you
an idea of the plight of the slaves are; when Solomon is left hanging from a
branch for a whole day barely able to ground his feet so that he could stay
alive and Patsy getting stripped and whiplashed brutally just because she
wanted to use a bar of soap to stay clean. These two, especially the latter,
appeal to anyone having a conscience when you watch it on screen, courtesy
Mcqueen.
Though you can find traces
of Inception in the BGM (which was also scored by Zimmer), along with sensible
cinematography employing a variety of shots Mcqueen succeeds in capturing the
essence of it all.
The cast, top league actors
and newbies alike, offers a stellar performance. Though it’s difficult to rate
the performances, it has to be admitted that the stand-outs are Chiwetel,
Fassbender and the actor playing Patsy to an extent. Chiwetel portrays the
pain, helplessness and uncertainty of Solomon in a probable Oscar Winning
performance, with moments of beauty conveyed through facial expressions alone.
Another point worth mentioning is the grit and hope that Solomon embodies
making 12 Years a Slave much more than just a sympathising film on slavery.
One cannot feel nothing but
sad for Leonardo Dicaprio; everytime he comes close to the Best Actor Oscar
someone else swiftly comes along to claim the prize, this time being no
different. With the looks of it the contest for the Best Actor should be
between Chiwetel for 12 years a slave and Mathew Mcaunaghey for Dallas Buyers
Club. Let’s wait and watch!
I
am giving a 4 for 12 Years a Slave. It is a gritty film that you do not wanna miss!
Rating Scale (Out
of 5)
Less than 2
-
Unwatchable.
2 to 2.25
-
Below average.
2.5 to 2.75
-
Average.
3 to
3.25
-
Good.
3.5 to
3.75 -
Really Good.
4 to
4.25
-
Great.
4.5 and
above
- Extraordinary.
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