Everyone should read Solomon Northup's memoir. It is a powerful, moving, and culturally important tale of the injustice of slavery.This movie, however, seemed to be a poor attempt to turn that story into quick cash. Characters were not developed, scenes were stitched together in an odd way, and the ending was rushed and didn't seem to convey the intense emotions Solomon had in being rescued.I understand a movie can only do so much, but I'm not sure how a viewer who has not read the memoir would be able to get much from the movie. And those who have read it will be disappointed at lost opportunities to convey the true horror of the situation and total exclusion of some important anecdotes (particularly the continued menace of Tibeats)

'12 Years A Salve' is a harrowing, yet brilliantly made film, that shakes it's viewers to the core. Screenwriter John Ridley adapts the real-life story of Solomon Northup in the most emotional and brutal way possible and has an effect on the audience in ways no other movie has. The story alone, movie or not, is something worth of praise and fortunately director Steven McQueen adapted it for the screen in the authentic and raw manner that it needed to be shown in. Leading actor Chiwetel Ejiofor immerses himself into the role of Solomon Northup exceptionally, and is supported by a talented cast all round, the standouts being Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o and Sarah Paulson. Nyong'o, in particular, steals every single scene she is in and is well-deserving of her Academy Award that she received for this role. Hans Zimmer's soundtrack is also a standout in the film and contributes greatly to the emotional aspect of the film, and the overall atmosphere. While I've seen a lot of emotional and heart-wrenching films in my lifetime, I have never been so emotionally affected by this film. Every aspect of this film contributes to the overall greatness of this film that portrays the atrocities of the U.S. slave industry in a way that's never been done before. I never thought I'd cry from a movie, but '12 Years A Slave' has proved me wrong.

This was a good biopic and apparently faithful to the source material, which is to its credit.However one can't read the over-abundance of gushing praise this has received from the professionals without getting just a whiff of politics and insincerity.This is a good movie, but not a great one. Not one I'll remember much from in 5 years from now, for that matter. Good performances and some intense scenes, but just not enough there to call it a classic or anything.Not enough work was done on Solomon's character prior to his enslavement. Just an additional 3-4 minutes or so of showing his personality whilst living his normal family life would have gone a long way towards building more sympathy throughout the picture. As it happens his character was bland and underdeveloped. Whatever 'groundbreaking' or 'daring' type of story you're trying to tell, the basics of storytelling still apply; in this instance, that's routine character-building.The constant excess of the evil-doing of the slave-owners was too much. Of course some will say that's the point of the movie, but the point was more than well made. At times this veered into the realms of torture porn and that's not what I go to the movies for.There were too many lingering shots of Solomon and/or the surrounding scenery during this movie. One or two would have been acceptable, but it literally felt like 2-3 minutes could have been trimmed off the film by dispensing with some of this overly-indulgent cinematography. Did I really need to see the poor fellow hanging from a tree for as long as I did? The point was already well made.Whenever I watch a film, I like to ponder why it was made. This film clearly wasn't made to tell an interesting story, as it really wasn't that intriguing a plot. Man gets sold into slavery and gets out 12 years later after sending a letter. I can only deduce that the film was made to faithfully present a biopic, to drive home the horrors of slavery and, far worse, to attempt to make white folk feel a sense of shame for their history. I can always appreciate a good biopic but do we really, in the 21st century, need a reminder of the injustices of slavery? That is a portion of history that everyone is well aware of, regrets and never wants to see a return of. If the filmmakers wanted white folk to feel ashamed of their history, as I strongly suspect they did, then that is an appalling and insulting reason to make a movie. And it's a form of exploitation that absolutely should not be rewarded with a Best Picture Oscar.I feel shame when I think of the gross injustice of slavery and the millions of lives it's ruined, but I don't want or need a film to reinforce that for two long, gory hours. I don't want or need a movie to tell me how to think or feel; such is the social justice warrior world of the 21st century that we live in that filmmakers now seem to see that as one of their basic rights.

I believe this movie was done exceptionally well. This movie directed by Steve McQueen was almost perfect at depicting the true story of Solomon Northup acted by Chiwetel Ejiofor. It included vivid and real events such as when Solomon a free man of Upstate New York was recruited by two men who claimed to be circus performers and convinced Northup to travel with them to Washington D.C. where they would earn lots of money. Upon arriving to Washington D.C. the men treat Northup to drinks and dinner where he is drugged, and wakes from his unconscious state to find himself in shackles and chains in a cell. He was delivered by ship to New Orleans. In June he is sold in a slave market where he is known by alias name, Platt Hamilton. He is first sold to a man named Ford. Northup ends up running into trouble with a man named Tibeats who works on Ford's land who envies how strategic and smart Northup. Tibeats ends up getting Northup hung where the look out for the land spots Tibeats and tells him to scram before he shoots him and his friends. Ford ends up finding Northup and cuts him down. The next day he tells Northup that he has created a reputation for himself and was returned to the slave market. He then is sold to a man named Mr. Epps where he serves the rest of his years working on the plantation. This is where my favorite part occurs in which a Canadian man named Mr. Bass tells the Epps that Mr. Solomon is a free man by law and helps him to prove that he is free and returns him back to his family in Saratoga. This movie included great actors to portray as characters from the book 12 Years a Slave.