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12 Years a Slave
12 Years a Slave

12 Years a Slave

2013 134 min ★ 7.9 Drama, History

In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty as well as unexpected kindnesses Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon’s chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist will forever alter his life.

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Cast

Chiwetel Ejiofor

Chiwetel Ejiofor

Solomon Northup

Michael Fassbender

Michael Fassbender

Edwin Epps

Lupita Nyong'o

Lupita Nyong'o

Patsey

Benedict Cumberbatch

Benedict Cumberbatch

William Ford

Paul Dano

Paul Dano

John Tibeats

Sarah Paulson

Sarah Paulson

Mary Epps

Adepero Oduye

Adepero Oduye

Eliza

Scoot McNairy

Scoot McNairy

Brown

Paul Giamatti

Paul Giamatti

Theophilus Freeman

Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt

Samuel Bass

Details

Director

Steve McQueen

Screenplay

John Ridley

Tagline

"The extraordinary true story of Solomon Northup."

Status

Released

Original Language

EN

Budget

$20,000,000

Revenue

$187,000,000

Production

New Regency Pictures, Plan B Entertainment, River Road Entertainment, Regency Enterprises, Film4 Productions

Reviews

K

kineticandroid

June 21, 2014

Sometimes, I just have to stop my brain in the middle of a film and just admire its exceptional craftsmanship. I found myself doing that time and time again during this film. Perhaps I was more open to admiring the shot compositions and acting choices because, as I cynically told myself before the film, it's not like I needed much convincing that slavery was bad. Or perhaps it was because I was sh...

A

Andres Gomez

May 2, 2015

★ 8/10

This movie is very, very well done. Well, edited and with the proper long shots at the proper moments bringing you to the life of Solomon without remedy. All the cast performs exceptionally well and Ejiofor is to be remembered for this film. A must to be seen.

P

post_orgasmic_mood

February 20, 2017

★ 8/10

Not in a long time have I seen a movie that brings out real emotions from my cold hearted soul. This movie brought them out in floods of tears. the acting was superb, especially from the lead Chiwetel Ejiofor, he acted from his little toe right up to his eyes. The style was also filmed beautifully with some (extremely) painful long shots which pulled you into Solomons nightmare. Im not su...

S

Shreyance Parakh

May 4, 2017

★ 10/10

**Dreaded at the thought that human kind ACTUALLY had this kind of livelihood at some point of time..** Could not gather my thoughts to write this review at the end of the movie.Feeling really bogged down by some heaviness on my chest. Thinking about the times in history when we actually used to do these atrocities on other human beings makes me cringe.To imagine waking up one day and find me i...

C

CinemaSerf

January 14, 2026

★ 7/10

There are plenty of stories of slaves in the USA, but this is the only one I’ve come across where a free citizen is kidnapped and sold into slavery. It’s this latter-day people trafficking that sees successful family man Solomon Northup (Chiwitel Ejiofor) fall foul of some villains, beaten savagely, then sold to work in the sugar plantations of Louisiana. He’s an intelligent man, a man of integrit...

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