In
"12 Years A Slave" there is a scene between Platt/Solomon Northup
(Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Patsy (Lupita Nyong'o that is startling, stark
and will have your emotions all over the place. It is one of the very
few scenes that delivers all the hype that the movie has promised. All
in all I found the movie very disappointing and realize that I am a
minority having this opinion.

There were many scenes that
director Steve McQueen holds 3-4 beats, if not 1-2 minutes, such as the
'song' by Tibeats (Paul Dano), too long and some photograph like frames,
mostly of nature scenes, that combine to make the movie seem excessive
diluting those times it should have moved quicker. Moving back and forth
in time, instead of telling the story in a straight line, doesn't add
anything and with repeating scenes, once again, elongates the story that
would have been stronger if shorter.

The acting is certainly
first rate though Michael Fassbender should be getting a lot more
attention for his role as plantation/slave owner Edwin Epps, frightening
in his drunken evilness. As Platt/Solomon, the freeman, who is
kidnapped and sent to the south as a slave, Ejiofer carries the burden
of the film as a victim who refuses to be one though at times he seems
to be too passive as an actor, not a slave, for how he overcomes all
that is thrown at him.

The rest of the cast, mostly cameos by
Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Giamatti, Sarah Paulson and Alfre Woodard are
effective though when Brad Pitt appears it takes you out of the movie
because it is Brad Pitt.

There is nudity, none gratuitous,
violence and cruelty, though except for the scene mentioned in the first
paragraph and an attempted lynching scene of Northup, very little of it
hit me emotionally

Based on a true story about, and book written
by, Northup and the publicity he received it is questionable that how
and/or where he died is unknown.

Comes award time the movie and actors will be up for many awards but the bottom line for me is that I won't recommend it.