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IMDbPro

12 Years a Slave

  • 20132013
  • RR
  • 2h 14m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
707K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
749
101
Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave (2013)
In the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.
Play trailer2:27
12 Videos
99+ Photos
BiographyDramaHistory
In the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.In the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.In the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
707K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
749
101
    • Steve McQueen
    • John Ridley(screenplay by)
    • Solomon Northup(based on "Twelve Years a Slave" by)
  • Stars
    • Chiwetel Ejiofor
    • Michael Kenneth Williams
    • Michael Fassbender
    • Steve McQueen
    • John Ridley(screenplay by)
    • Solomon Northup(based on "Twelve Years a Slave" by)
  • Stars
    • Chiwetel Ejiofor
    • Michael Kenneth Williams
    • Michael Fassbender
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 976User reviews
    • 490Critic reviews
    • 96Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #179
    • Won 3 Oscars

    Videos12

    UK Trailer
    Trailer 2:27
    Watch UK Trailer
    Trailer #1
    Trailer 2:29
    Watch Trailer #1
    12 Years a Slave
    Trailer 2:21
    Watch 12 Years a Slave
    The Rise of Chiwetel Ejiofor
    Clip 4:09
    Watch The Rise of Chiwetel Ejiofor
    12 Years a Slave
    Clip 0:41
    Watch 12 Years a Slave
    12 Years a Slave
    Clip 0:56
    Watch 12 Years a Slave
    Exclusive Featurette
    Featurette 4:39
    Watch Exclusive Featurette
    Exclusive: The Director's Vision
    Featurette 3:51
    Watch Exclusive: The Director's Vision
    The Envelope Screening Series
    Featurette 3:08
    Watch The Envelope Screening Series
    "A Portrait of Solomon Northup"
    Featurette 5:36
    Watch "A Portrait of Solomon Northup"
    "Fight Back" TV Spot
    Promo 0:49
    Watch "Fight Back" TV Spot
    Lupita Nyong'o of 'Us': "No Small Parts"
    Video 3:20
    Watch Lupita Nyong'o of 'Us': "No Small Parts"

    Photos198

    Chiwetel Ejiofor and Adepero Oduye in 12 Years a Slave (2013)
    Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave (2013)
    Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave (2013)
    Paul Dano and Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave (2013)
    Lupita Nyong'o in 12 Years a Slave (2013)
    Sarah Paulson and Michael Fassbender in 12 Years a Slave (2013)
    Paul Giamatti in 12 Years a Slave (2013)
    Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kelsey Scott, Quvenzhané Wallis, and Cameron Zeigler in 12 Years a Slave (2013)
    Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, and Lupita Nyong'o in 12 Years a Slave (2013)
    Chiwetel Ejiofor and Benedict Cumberbatch in 12 Years a Slave (2013)
    Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave (2013)
    Sarah Paulson and Lupita Nyong'o in 12 Years a Slave (2013)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Chiwetel Ejiofor
    Chiwetel Ejiofor
    • Solomon Northup
    Michael Kenneth Williams
    Michael Kenneth Williams
    • Robert
    Michael Fassbender
    Michael Fassbender
    • Edwin Epps
    Brad Pitt
    Brad Pitt
    • Bass
    Dwight Henry
    Dwight Henry
    • Uncle Abram
    Dickie Gravois
    • Overseer
    Bryan Batt
    Bryan Batt
    • Judge Turner
    Ashley Dyke
    Ashley Dyke
    • Anna
    Kelsey Scott
    Kelsey Scott
    • Anne Northup
    Quvenzhané Wallis
    Quvenzhané Wallis
    • Margaret Northup
    Cameron Zeigler
    • Alonzo Northup
    Tony Bentley
    Tony Bentley
    • Mr. Moon
    Scoot McNairy
    Scoot McNairy
    • Brown
    Taran Killam
    Taran Killam
    • Hamilton
    Christopher Berry
    Christopher Berry
    • Burch
    Bill Camp
    Bill Camp
    • Radburn
    Mister Mackey Jr.
    • Randall
    Chris Chalk
    Chris Chalk
    • Clemens
      • Steve McQueen
      • John Ridley(screenplay by)
      • Solomon Northup(based on "Twelve Years a Slave" by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    A Guide to the Films of Steve McQueen

    A Guide to the Films of Steve McQueen

    Through detailed close-ups, single-take dialogues, and powerhouse performances, Oscar-winning filmmaker Steve McQueen has shown audiences his unflinching perspectives on real-world drama.
    Watch the video
    Image caption not available
    2:08

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The tree where Solomon sees several men being lynched was actually used for lynching, and is surrounded by the graves of murdered slaves.
    • Goofs
      When "Platt" is explaining how to bring the logs down the river, the overseer scornfully asks him where he became an expert in engineering and "terraforming." This a word coined by science fiction author Jack Williamson in 1942, almost exactly 100 years after the scene takes place.
    • Quotes

      Solomon Northup: I don't want to survive. I want to live.

    • Crazy credits
      "Solomon brought the men responsible for his abduction to trial. Unable to testify against whites in the nation's capital, he lost the case against the slave pen owner, James Burch. After lengthy legal proceedings in New York, his kidnappers Hamilton and Brown also avoided prosecution."
    • Connections
      Featured in The Onion Film Standard: 12 Years a Slave (2013)
    • Soundtracks
      My Lord, Sunshine
      Written by Nicholas Britell

      Performed by Roosevelt Credit and David Hughey

    User reviews976

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    12 Years A Slave earns the right to be called one of the best films of the year.
    If any contemporary director deserves to be in the mainstream spotlight without compromising their style, it's Steve McQueen. His debut, Hunger, already had the hand of a confident filmmaker taking a fly-on-the-wall style to the grimy art-house. Shame was one of the finest films of its year for its impeccable depiction of an addiction to one of humanity's primal survival instincts resulting in self-destruction. I'm so happy that his latest film has gracefully conquered early Oscar favourites from the output of David O. Russell, Martin Scorsese and the now delayed film from George Clooney to become this year's Oscar frontrunner. During its festival run when the buzz first began, I took it upon myself to read the screenplay. While I can usually sink scripts within a few hours, the poetic density of 12 Years A Slave took several sittings across a week or two. Even on the page it was a harrowing, exhausting experience. It's a film that needs a have a gut to truly display the length of time, but the script is bloated in its brilliance.

    Naturally, scenes were cut (whether in the editing room or pre-production I don't know) and that's a blessing and a curse. Now in the film, we rush to Solomon Northup's capture, opening with scenes we shall revisit later on. I understand the decision to enter the world as quickly as possible, but I do feel it hurts its first act. As much as I jump for joy every time Scoot McNairy hides himself in a film, the transition from ordinary life to becoming kidnapped feels jarring and contrived. Who is Solomon Northup as a free man? What does he want? Maybe we don't know because there is no source for the matter. Maybe McQueen isn't interested in telling that story. At the very least, we definitely know that Solomon is a compelling character during his capture. Chiwetel Ejiofor is an actor I've always liked but he's never made an impression until now. His passion and commitment to his portrayal of Solomon is utterly captivating. While he can slink into the background of some scenes where he is not the focus, when it's time to shine he bursts a fuse.

    Unfortunately during this cluttered first act, it concerns itself too much with subplots that we know will not succeed. While they accomplish establishing the stakes at hand and rule out the 'why doesn't Solomon just…' there's just too many abridged tales. Perhaps this is distracting just because I know the full stories from the script, but they should've went all or nothing with them. It results in editing that frustratingly refuses to let us into Solomon's headspace. We're along for the ride, but too frequently not Solomon's ride. During then we only get rare and rewarding glimpses into how he feels and his perspective on his past life stolen from him. Fortunately the film vastly improves once Solomon is free from the deliciously cruel Paul Giamatti to the spiteful live-wire Paul Dano. As the film focuses on his one-on-one conflicts and moral dilemmas, the film reaches intimate and truly challenging moments which is where the film's power lies. Fruitless subplots are dropped in favour of heartbreaking ones as we're introduced to the pitiful Patsey on the pathetic Edwin Epps' plantation.

    Michael Fassbender and Steve McQueen have been one of the most enthralling director/actor combination in recent years. They always bring out the best in each other. Here, it feels like they've reached their finest work yet, but still feels like their collaboration has just began. Fassbender's Edwin Epps is the film's most fascinating and complex character, a man who sincerely refuses to believe he is evil. He demonstrates the thesis of the film in that the authoritative caucasians didn't believe they were doing anything wrong. Many people have laid claim that he is pure evil, but I don't think that's the point, he belongs in a misguided world where he thinks his lust and affection is apt praise for Patsey's talent. While I may not have sympathy for him, he is a tortured soul, a regrettable and irreversible tragedy of mankind and this is thanks to Fassbender's incredible performance. His victim Patsey, played by talented newcomer Lupita Nyong'o, is an utter revelation. She may not have a fully developed character but in at least two powerful scenes, she makes the best out of what she can for a character that warrants the tears you will inevitably shed.

    One of the most consistent aspects of McQueen's films is the magnificent taste in cinematography and production design. Presumably from his art background, he's great at immersing you into his bleak visual worlds. Working with Sean Bobbit again, the cinematography is reliably enchanting. In true McQueen style, if a character must endure patiently, in this case Solomon hanging from a noose on the tips of his toes, we must endure with them. No shot this year, not even in the extraordinary Gravity, has been as stunning and unforgettable as the infamous long take of Patsey's lashes. It's a filmmaking masterclass in just a few short minutes. Despite the shaky first half hour, it's all redeemed in its harrowing final 15 minutes. It's the greatest sequence I've seen in a long time and I've never had a scene make me a blubbering mess quite like it. Yes, the jump to his kidnapping feels abrupt and there's no sense of relief to his inevitable freedom, but this is all calculated to mirror the struggle of his experience and we've felt every beat. 12 Years A Slave is a powerful testament to the endurance of the human spirit with its theme of injustice applicable to any point in history that earns the right to be one of the best of the year. After a string of lightweight Best Picture choices from the Academy, this will be a refreshing choice.

    9/10
    helpful•46
    28
    • Sergeant_Tibbs
    • Feb 24, 2014

    FAQ10

    • Is '12 Years a Slave' based on a book?
    • Did Solomon really play the violin?
    • Did Solomon's kidnappers really drug him?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 8, 2013 (United States)
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Madame John's Legacy, the French Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
    • Production companies
      • New Regency Productions
      • River Road Entertainment
      • Plan B Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 2 hours 14 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
      • Dolby Surround 7.1

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