Summary
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.
Cast
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Solomon Northup
Michael Fassbender
Edwin Epps
Lupita Nyong'o
Patsey
Benedict Cumberbatch
William Ford
Paul Dano
John Tibeats
Sarah Paulson
Mary Epps
Adepero Oduye
Eliza
Scoot McNairy
Brown
Paul Giamatti
Theophilus Freeman
Brad Pitt
Samuel Bass
Michael Kenneth Williams
Robert
Alfre Woodard
Mistress Shaw
Chris Chalk
Clemens
Taran Killam
Hamilton
Bill Camp
Radburn
Kelsey Scott
Anne Northup
Bryan Batt
Judge Turner
Quvenzhané Wallis
Margaret Northup
Garret Dillahunt
Armsby
Dwight Henry
Uncle Abram
Dickie Gravois
Overseer
Ashley Dyke
Anna
Cameron Zeigler
Alonzo Northup
Tony Bentley
Mr. Moon
Christopher Berry
Burch
Mister Mackey Jr.
Randall
Craig Tate
John
Storm Reid
Emily
Tom Proctor
Biddee
Marc Macaulay
Captain
Vivian Fleming-Alvarez
Mulatto Woman
Douglas M. Griffin
Sailor
John McConnell
Jonus Ray
Marcus Lyle Brown
Jasper
Richard Holden
Fitzgerald
Rob Steinberg
Parker
Anwan Glover
Cape
James C. Victor
Buyer
Liza J. Bennett
Mistress Ford
Nicole Collins
Rachel
J.D. Evermore
Chapin
Andy Dylan
Treach
Deneen Tyler
Phebe
Mustafa Harris
Sam
Gregory Bright
Edward
Austin Purnell
Bob
Thomas Francis Murphy
Patroller
Andre De'Sean Shanks
Victim 1
Kelvin Harrison Jr.
Victim 2
Scott M. Jefferson
Master Shaw
Isaiah Jackson
Zachary
Topsy Chapman
Slave Spiritual Singer 1
Devin Maurice Evans
Slave Spiritual Singer 2
Jay Huguley
Sheriff
Devyn A. Tyler
Margaret Northup (adult)
Willo Jean-Baptiste
Margaret's Husband
Jason Ament
Cooke (uncredited)
Jon Arthur
Steamboat Crew 1st Mate (uncredited)
Sean Paul Braud
Lynchman (uncredited)
Blake Burt
Upper Class Pedestrian (uncredited)
Carroll Burt
Lower Class Pedestrian (uncredited)
Edward J. Clare
Restaurant Patron (uncredited)
JJ Coker
Mr. Bartholomew (uncredited)
Haylie Creppel
Child in the Park (uncredited)
Justin Edward Davis
Saratoga Park Pedestrian (uncredited)
Jim Johnson
Lower Class Pedestrian (uncredited)
Mark Joyce
Street Merchant (uncredited)
John C. Klein
Lumber Mill Customer (uncredited)
Gerard 'Jerry' Lewis
Slave Guard (uncredited)
Kevonte Mcdonald
Slave (uncredited)
Ritchie Montgomery
Roadman (uncredited)
Jason Owen
Safty (uncredited)
Shawn Parsons
Road Man (uncredited)
Haley Powell
Slave Girl (uncredited)
Wayne Pére
Winslow (uncredited)
Terrell Ransom Jr.
Slave Boy (uncredited)
Erin Rementer
Ballroom Dancer (uncredited)
Andre Robinson
Slave Boy (uncredited)
Corrina Roshea Bobb
Slave Buyer (uncredited)
Jarett Shorts
Hornboy (uncredited)
Chaz Smith
Cigar Smoker (uncredited)
Tyler Soerries
Boy Playing in Park (uncredited)
Tre Tureaud
Saratoga Park Pedestrians (uncredited)
Justin Christopher Vaughn
Ezra (uncredited)
Bob Walker
Abolitionist Landowner (uncredited)
Caroline Grace Williamson
Ford Daughter (uncredited)
Timothy Wyant
Ford Lumber Buyer (uncredited)
Crew
Director
Steve McQueen
Novel
Solomon Northup
Screenplay
John Ridley
Reviews
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 shielding myself from the honest brutalities the film convincingly portrayed. Nonetheless, I was reminded of the film "Children of Men," because when I watched that, I was struck by how easily I could imagine a less engaging, more dumbed-down version of the same film. I haven't seen enough films about slavery to know this for certain, but I suspect that because many of this film's principals are British, telling a story about a free man who was forced into slavery, as opposed to one born into it, they were able to be gain some valuable distance from the subject and craft something that's both beautiful and feels true to life. And even though I thought I could not have been made to feel worse than I already did about slavery, the post-scripts on the lack of justice Solomon received for his kidnapping and the unknown causes of his death, helped keep the film from lapsing into a kind of "triumph of the spirit" happy ending others might have imposed.
