Powerful film that is tough to watch, but needs to be seen

Rating: 9/10 (1 March 2014)

This is truly a movie that I doubt anybody could watch more than once. The entire cast shines in this movie, with Fassbender delivering a bone- chilling performance as the cruel slavemaster. Although 2 hours and 15 minutes long, it feels much longer due to the bleak outlook of the main character. Every member of the cast delivers a stellar performance in this cast, with particular mention to Paul Dano who has shown once again how far he has come from the Girl Next Door days. I also appreciated that they added the character of Benedict Cumberbatch to show that there were certain people at that time that were not completely against slavery nor cruel as Fassbender's or Giamatti's character. It was important to show that these kind of people existed at the time, and acted as enablers of slavery, without actually demonizing them. Steve McQueen, also does a great job using the cast and creating some great shots with excellent cinematography. One of the shots that stands out is after Solomon has been kidnapped and how the camera simply focuses the dark, deep whirring of the propeller of the steamboat. I found it almost similar to how a certain, sometimes mundane detail is focused upon in terrible nightmares. One minor nitpick would be the presence of Brad Pitt. In spite of his important role as producer, I feel that another actor should have been given his role. It seems way too perfect to give the A-list star the role of the only moral character in the whole movie.