Paganini he is not

Rating: 3/10 (20 December 2013)

NO! This is NOT Oscar caliber material, sorry. So we have this virtuoso violinist that is kidnapped, enslaved and tortured. Good story. But what the heck is McQueen doing? Minutes pass with images of trees and landscapes. (remember "Tree of Life"--probably not). Not to mention the lifeless performance by our protagonist. I do like him as an actor but he pales in comparison to the supporting cast. Yes, Fassbender is good, but darn, that Paul Dano is something else. Watch out for him in the future. (see There will be Blood). The topic of slavery is of course a terrible chapter in our history, but the movie is simply not up to the task of relaying this emotion.