12 Years a Slave Review: One Man’s Journey

Solomon Northup’s autobiography “12 Years a Slave” was recently adopted into a screenplay by John Ridley and directed by Steve McQueen. In spite of several drawn-out scenes, it’s a poignant retelling of a slave’s life.

The acting in this is downright fantastic. Chiwetel Ejiofor , who plays Northup, has to be one of this generation’s greatest actors. He makes the audience sympathize with him from the first second he’s on screen. The range of his torment brings what Northup might have felt in those twelve years.

In fact, the entire cast puts on stellar performances. They make the audience know that this period was no joke and this was how people thought in those days. The white actors put on how they were dominant and the blacks how they were less than nothing as believable as if the audience were actually seeing this as it happened.

The only downside of the acting is Brad Pitt as Bass; a Canadian who came to the plantation Northup was in order to work there. Pitt uses this weird Canadian/Southern hybrid accent that sounds more weird than natural. What’s worse is that the two scenes he’s in basically does very little for the plot and feels like he was in it just to get a quick paycheck.

The other downside of this movie is the constant flogging scenes. There’s even one that goes on for a good ten minutes a la “Passion of the Christ.” In fact, the biggest complaint of “Passion,” it being nothing more than a snuff film, also applies here too. It’s understandable that slaves were constantly flogged and generally treated like nothing, but there is a limit to how much an audience must see what’s basically the same scene over and over again.

In addition to the flaws above the story, being interesting heartbreaking, has some narrative problems. One is that it just slogs on at a snails’ pace making the movie feel as if it’s longer than it actually is. One of these reasons is that there is just so much filler of nothing but slaves picking cotton and being forced to dance. Also, if Northup was supposed to be enslaved for 12 years, how come he doesn’t age one bit?

“12 Years a Slave” features excellent acting and a story that makes the viewer look at his watch at the halfway point. Ejiofor steals the show and Pitt should’ve been a no show. Those who are squeamish need to excuse the graphic flogging scenes.