12 Years a Slave

If ever there is a movie getting a lot of buzz, it's this one. Not only are people saying it's the best film of the year, but also that it's one of the best films ever made. While I agree that this film had the potential to be a masterpiece, I don't quite think it's there. That's not to say I don't think it's a pretty damn good movie. But I also think all the hype is just a tad on the hyperbolic side.

12 Years a Slave is based on the true story of Solomon Northup, a free black man living in New York who accepts the job offers of two seemingly nice white men who want him to travel to Washington D.C. and play fiddle for their circus. Instead, they get him drunk and sell him into slavery. After his seemingly never ending journey into the South, he goes to live with a plantation owner who is as nice as plantation owners can be (Benedict Cumberbatch). But after a violent run-in with his overseer (Paul Dano), he is sold to another plantation owner where the master (Michael Fassbender) is as violent and nasty as you can imagine.

Directed by Steve McQueen (Hunger, Shame), 12 Years a Slave is raw, gritty and unflinching. It's an emotional, devastating depiction of slavery, a subject that hasn't ever really been tackled well on film. Sure, it's a terrible subject matter but so is Nazi Germany and there is at least one iconic movie about that subject matter. It's a beautiful, artistic film that is also heart-wrenching. McQueen directs the hell out of this movie, and I'd say he's our second shoo-in for Best Director at the Oscars next year. In fact, there's a good chance that this movie could win ALL the Oscars next year. It's that devastating, and beautiful and the performances are that sensational.

Some of the actors don't have very much screen time at all (Dano, Brad Pitt, Sarah Paulson, Paul Giamatti), but still manage to give great, three-dimensional performances. This movie is very likely to get three nominations in Oscar acting categories. First, obviously, there's Chiwetel Ejiofor in the main role of Solomon. He is in just about every scene and he quietly carries this entire film on his shoulders. His name may be difficult to pronounce, but everyone should probably learn it because this guy is amazing in this movie. He is absolutely unforgettable and heartbreaking, strong and mesmerizing. Then there is newcomer Lupita Nyong'o as put-upon slave Patsy. I've been hearing a lot of buzz about her performance, but I wasn't all that impressed at first. However, there are a few key scenes near the end where she absolutely blows it out of the water. But, best in show, however, goes to Michael Fassbender who is so good I'm not even sure I can find the words to adequately describe just how good he is. He is a gift to this movie, because when he's on screen, the movie is so much better. His performance is a force of nature, menacing and maniacal, but somehow still almost likable. He manages to convey nearly every emotion while on screen, and the movie is so much better because he's a part of it. This is, in my opinion, the single best performance of the entire year. That's just how sensational he is, and he deserves every award you can possibly imagine, and probably a few more that we may need to invent just for him.

So, it seems like I'm praising the hell out of this movie, right? The acting is all great, featuring THE best performance of the year. The director is a rock star. I even want to praise the score, which is jittery and anxious and perfect. So, what's the problem, then? Because I wasn't as over the moon about this movie as I should be, I guess. It's not that it's difficult to watch, although it is. It is unflinchingly violent and horrid and hard to watch, but it should be. It's about the darkest time in this history of our country. It's just that there are a few moments that keep this from being a masterpiece and they are all the more obvious because this is such a great movie, with such potential to be a complete game changer that it's sort of disappointing that someone didn't reign in McQueen's more pretentious moments. For instance, there is about a two minute close up of Solomon's face where he is simply standing still, doing nothing, that is completely off putting and serves no purpose other than to be "artistic." There are a few moments like this, where the shot is held for far longer that it needs to be. This sort of stuff typically doesn't bother me, but, like I said, this movie had the potential to be a game changer and all these little self-indulgent moments take away from what it could have been. If they had edited about twenty minutes out of this, it could have been something near perfection. Instead, it has to settle for being just a damn good movie, which isn't so bad.

Grade: A-