12 Years a Slave

(6,237)IMDb 8.12h 14min2013X-RayR

Director Steve McQueen's powerful film based on the true story of a man kidnapped and sold into slavery features an all-star cast including Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender.

Directors: Steve McQueen

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch Brad Pitt Chiwetel Ejiofor

Genres: Drama

Subtitles: English [CC]

Audio languages: EnglishEnglish [Audio Description]

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Supporting actors: Michael Fassbender Lupita Nyong'o Paul Giamatti Alfre Woodard Sarah Paulsonmore…Paul Dano

Producers: Dede Gardner Anthony Katagas Jeremy Kleiner Steve McQueen Arnon Milchanmore…Brad PittBill PohladJohn RidleyTessa RossBianca Stigter

Studio: Fox

MPAA rating: R (Restricted)

Content advisory: Drug usefoul languagenuditysexualityviolence

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Customer reviews

5 star		85%
4 star		9%
3 star		4%
2 star		1%
1 star		2%

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Joy de Leyer

A powerful, yet difficult watch. . .

Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2019

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My 11-year old son had a book report and presentation to do for Black History Month on Frederick Douglas. While we were researching, I opted to rent this movie. Although he is very young, I thought it was critical for him to know about slavery, and what African Americans had to go through. He was disturbed by what he saw, and perhaps he was too young for this movie, but again, I thought it was an important history lesson. I also wanted him to have a deep understanding of slavery, and this movie delivered.

Graphic and heartbreaking, tells one mans story and what he and his family had gone through when he was kidnapped and forced to work as a slave. The abuse at the hands of their masters was reprehensible and was difficult to view. Also the way women were treated, and raped at the hands of their masters placed a knot in the pit of my stomach.

Excellent portrayal and acting. A must watch, especially for school related projects pertaining to Slavery.

28 people found this helpful

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Ellie

was incredibly excellent. As a white grandma in my 70s

Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2017

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This film, though brutal in its honesty, was incredibly excellent. As a white grandma in my 70s, I don't think I had any idea, despite much history learning, what slavery was really like in reality. The developers of this film have done an excellent job, as well as the actors. It should probably be on everyone's "must see" list.

35 people found this helpful

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C.S.

And this is a slave who "got lucky". Show this to anyone who thinks slavery wasn't so bad.

Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2019

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This movie is real, raw, and a true story. You may hear some people say how some slaves "had it good". Or they "got lucky". Bottom line shows you how ownership of any human being is wrong, and it permits their progression ie is the epitome of oppression and degradation. My kids are young and I still let them see this. In my opinion, don't withhold this movie from anyone who wants a glimpse as to what slavery was like. Is it upsetting? Yes. It also shows how there is always good people that will go up against a sea of bad grains to do the right thing. It leaves you with that reminder we need to always be that one who will do the right thing, to fight injustices and always have compassion.

14 people found this helpful

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Monorail91

Disturbing, exceptional drama

Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2014

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12 Years a Slave may have a clear title, but this film is anything but what you’d expect. It is not the saccharine-sweet pat on the back like Spielberg’s Lincoln or anything warm-fuzzy like Roots. Steve McQueen has hit his third home run in a row with this gritty, haunting story of American cruelty.

In some ways, it almost reminded me of Pasolini’s Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom in how it showed the cruelty humanity can put up with, or even commit, in order to survive. It is just as painful to watch the enslaved Solomon Northup be whipped and beaten as it is to watch him do nothing as the same happens to victims around him.

On a broader level, it’s fascinating how these characters create a sense of order for themselves, in a world so full of cruelty and chaos. Almost everyone speaks in beautiful, nearly-Shakespearean language, heightening the sheer intelligence and thought everyone has put into how they face their often desperate circumstances. Whether Michael Fassbender as Edwin Epps practicing horrific cruelty believing such is God’s will, or Chiwetel Ejiofor defending his master William Ford as a good one “under the circumstances,” it’s illuminating to see how these characters warp their realities in order to live through them.

McQueen takes no emotional cheap shots, or force any sentimentality or remorse out of it. Your guttural response is from merely the actions, as the camera is forcing you to witness them for yourself. No artistic work I’ve yet seen shows the condition of slavery as horrifyingly as 12 Years a Slave.

It’s not easy to watch but I’d consider it almost essential viewing. This film is a landmark not only for how neorealistically it approaches its subject matter, but also for its broader and, frankly, disturbing message about humanity.

50 people found this helpful

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Ryan

An excellent movie. I always enjoy watching movies that have ...

Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2018

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An excellent movie. I always enjoy watching movies that have truth to them. Twelve Years A Slave is just such a movie. It is, hands down, one of the best book to movie translations. Solomon Northrop was a free African American living in upstate New York when he was kidnapped against his will into slavery. The movie follows his journey through bondage and later escape. He later wrote an autobiography about his experience but sadly faded into oblivion. Seeing this movie brings to light the different experiences of slavery. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in this period of American History.

9 people found this helpful

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G. Coleman

This movie has changed my life

Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2020

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This movie has changed my life As a social studies teacher for over 20 years, I wonder why it took this movie to slap me in the face and realize the horrors of slavery. Of course, obviously, I "knew" slavery was horrible. But those were talking points without context. 12 Years put it in full view like bearing witness to war crimes. It shows the brutality and there are important lessons to be learned: everyone’s destroyed by it. Slavery contaminated the society and still does... This is a masterpiece, disturbing, riveting, and necessary.

3 people found this helpful

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Top international reviews

Suzanne Mead

ITS A TERRIBLE STORY OF WHAT MAN IS

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 11, 2019

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Interesting and powerful movie. I have lived in New York for 16 years. I’m afraid the racism still continues on both sides as I lived in the New York suburbs, Nanuet and the South Bronx. Being white and a woman, I saw first hand the treatment of people who lived in low class areas. I also felt the resentment from those areas a lot of it justified, but until that country truly becomes The UNITED States of America conflict rules to this day. Sad but true. (With President Chump ruling) this will never happen. An American President has to give up all his interests businesses etc. He gives them to his children. Laughable. Like their father isn’t going to inform them of stock to buy and sell.

I went there in 2002 and predicted he would be Mayor or President. The Apprentice a TV show

It’s a beautiful country that I loved living in for 16 years. I ask myself daily what divides us? We both bleed red blood. However until people are not herded into ghettos, or Conservations, where celebrities are the new ambition for children, not college or school, it’s all about reality shows, Facebook WhatsApp etc. Our world is a sad one. Where Kim Kardashian’s jelly filled backside takes precedence over shootings, wars and famine.
Where we have a corrupt royal family that change the laws so a beautiful kind woman is removed to satisfy the urges of a weak and pathetic future king to pave the way for his mistress to be crowned is considered the norm..

This movie shows how black people were treated bought and sold like items. We don’t think history can repeat itself? It already did with the Holocaust.

It’s a very moving film. It could have been better showing how people were literally treated like animals. How families were divided sold off piece by piece.

I do wish I knew who and where this man was, and was buried. I would hope a monument would be placed there.

18 people found this helpful

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Luke

It is a brilliant piece of cinema

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 23, 2016

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It is a brilliant piece of cinema. Clearly it's central theme is slavery, and the depravity human nature can so easily reach; but it has many other small moments that trigger thoughts about wider issues - the role of religion being one for example. It is violent, and in some respects awful to watch, but this is the story of Solomon Northup told truthfully. There is nothing saccharine about the way Steve McQueen presents this and that is what makes it so astonishing. You cry because what you witness is truly terrible, not because the violins are out and the director's tugging on your heart strings. All the acting is first rate, as is the score by Hans Zimmer. This really should be essential viewing for everyone old enough to understand it.

11 people found this helpful

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Lovely Jubbly

A beautiful, yet horrible film. You have to watch it.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 20, 2015

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This is a slow film in the best sense of the word. It tells the story deliberately but without too much narrative - you have to do some work as a viewer to piece together what is happening and the opening plays around with the chronology of the story in an affecting and effective way. The juxtaposition of the status of free black citizens in one part of the early US and their enslaved cousins in another is not explained, as it would be in a less artful piece. You are treated with intelligence by the director and the writer, as well as by the actors.
It is difficult to imagine a more beautiful and yet horrible film. Hans Zimmer's music is at times subtle and at others provides a menacing undertone to proceedings, and the use of Negro spirituals manages to avoid being a cliche particularly towards the end when Solomon/Platt finally joins in (not a spoiler, but a wonderful, poignant moment).
The scene of violence are uncomfortable but rare, and you'll want to look away but can't. It's important to face up to what happened.

I watched this film a couple of days after the Charleston shootings and the significance was not lost on me. I'm lucky enough to be meeting the director in a day or two and while I won't do the "fanboy" thing, I will shake his hand with honest respect - this is a wonderful artistic achievement and it deserves every bit of praise it gets.

One person found this helpful

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Andrew Fontenelle

12 Years a Slave!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 15, 2014

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This film was at times be very hard to watch and Steve McQueen has not held back in portraying an unrelenting cycle of physical and psychological violence and abuse. I think we have become accustomed to having a certain level of amnesia about slavery; well it was a long time ago and it couldn't have been that bad, could it? But watching "12 Years a Slave" is something of a shock to the system as there is nothing to temper the suffering.

Eliza's despair, Patsey's tortured life and Solomon's reunion with his family after gaining his freedom were for me some very moving parts of the film! With some excellent acting from the cast especially Ejiofor as Solomon, Fassbender as Epps and Lupita Nyong'o as Patsey, I think Steve McQueen has done a great job and this is definitely worth watching.

2 people found this helpful

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The Lyppard Man

Good, but some negative points

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 26, 2014

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This film clearly gives a flavour for the pure evil that slavery was and is. The barbaric way that some of those involved in the slave trade treated their fellow human beings almost defies belief. I have read some of the diaries of the slaves caught up in this horror and the heinous brutality that they suffered at the hands of their so-called masters was monstrous.

12 Years a Slave brings it all to life and I didn't realise until I watched the film that there were kidnap gangs operating in the north.

The only thing that lets this film down is the rather odd beginning and the (at times) less-than-clear dialogue. Apart from that, it is a very good film, but be prepared to be shocked by some of the violence.

One person found this helpful

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steves

Very Good

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 20, 2014

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A fine film - its plaudits were fairly predictable especially on the basis of the subject matter but - fair enough - it's well done. Blends well the themes of brutality, hope / hopelessness, humanity and a legalistic version of religion. The viewer sees that events are occurring in a land - in a mentality - where there is an inherent blindness to the hideousness of slavery.

So why not 5 stars? No spoilers here, suffice to say that I found the ending a little truncated as was the lead in to that ending.

The certificate of 15 I would also say is good in that it will include more viewers but - beware - it isn't for the faint hearted.

2 people found this helpful

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M. D. Gibson

Good story based on real life.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 13, 2014

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Had seen this previously on an air flight and wanted to see more clearly at home. Blue-Ray did not appear particularly outstanding, but perhaps it is my TV at fault. Some of the diction needed improving and the scenes in some cases were rather dark. It is not a film that one can necessarily enjoy because of harrowing scenes of brutality, but it does make you think of how cruelly black people were treated at that particular time in history, and continues today in some countries. Probably needs to be seen more than once to get the full gist of events and to give more appreciation of the acting skills and production of the film.

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E. K. Gonzalez

The injustice of slavery in front of your eyes!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 14, 2014

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This is a brilliant film but if anyone squirms at cruelty in a film it's not for you to see. This is also a true story which always makes a film even better. It's the true story of slavery and if you're curious about history and injustice, as I am, them you must see this. This is very well made. The film is very human. We're following a free black man who gets deceived and becomes a slave. The story isn't nasty all the time, it's intimate and natural but we're in the 19th C before the abolition of slavery has actually passed. He's a very unique man.

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Richard di Calatrava

But there's an opportunity missed!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 14, 2015

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What an amazing film - both as story and film-making...and the transfer (the "ordinary" DVD) is very clear too!

However, one star has to go for the curmudgeonly way in which the extras are presented. 7 minutes of what might have been a riveting "making of", and 4 minutes on the musical score...both of which just peter out. What a shame not to have half-hour versions of both plus a historical documentary about Solomon Northrup. Maybe a 2-disc version is needed with PROPER extras! Shame.

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Hailey cox

Get your tissues!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 19, 2019

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If you are wanting to watch a film that gives insight on how life used to be for slaves this really does give you that! I will warn though make sure you get your tissues ready!

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Ms. J. K. Moore

Gripping and Distrubing insight into history

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 15, 2015

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This is a delightful film in the making. It's tragic circumstance of the writers story are horrificably unimageable to some of us - yet these things really did happen. Slavery is something that shoould never be taken lightly because a lot of it is still being hiddened today. Films like this highly the plight of people in these circumstance and circumstances do vary. This is a rare little gem and beautifully portrayal of a real event!

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Adriano S.

Visually great, however....

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 14, 2014

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Of course, as with any film by Steve McQueen, this is visually stunning - and it's certainly a worthwhile story to put on film. I just didn't feel any involvment in the film - whilst appreciating that I was watching an admirable piece of work. I think the problem lies in the editing - there must have been a huge amount of material to piece together, and the film becomes increasingly 'episodic' towards the end. Left me feeling a tad disappointed, whilst appreciating that it follows a Best Picture AA genre.

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David (.

Powerful, moving but a must for all.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 15, 2014

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I read the book first, but still thoroughly enjoyed this DVD. My wife, did not want to watch it as it is quite graphic and, as she says, it is a true story which makes it even worse. Perhaps, but this is history. How can anyone treat another human being in this way. Simply inhuman. Powerful story and everyone should either read the book or see the film to appreciate our history. I really believe this should be on the school curriculum.

2 people found this helpful

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Book Buyer

Powerful and Moving

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 17, 2014

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Film Review. 12 Years A Slave. What can I say. To say this film is powerful and moving would be an understatement. This film packs an emotional punch and while the subject matter may be tough for some to watch I would highly recommend this movie. A very important film, that's filled with some many great performances but the film is carried by the brilliant Chiwetel Ejiofor who delivers a powerful and stirring performance, sometimes without saying a great deal. Highly Recommended!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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G gal

Good

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 30, 2019

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You learn a lot of history from this movie it sickens me to think how white people treated black people makes me ashamed to be white

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