2013 Film of the Year Countdown: #5

12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen)[200.5 points / 19 votes]

"I knew that 12 Years a Slave was the best movie I would see in 2013 almost immediately. And this is saying a lot, since 2013 was a very, VERY good year.

What is interesting to me is that it is such a powerful film, and so overwhelming, that only after this third viewing could I even begin to focus on small details and individual elements. The first two times I watched it, practically all I could feel when it was over was shell shock, both at the depth of the experience and my extreme admiration for everything about it.

Now that I can focus on details, I will. One must go first and foremost to the performances. Witness Chiwetel Ejiofor's trembling courage and roiling emotions churning beneath a stoic exterior; Michael Fassbender's disturbing, undeniable humanity in the role of an irredeemably evil man, the characterization of whom never boils over into caricature; Lupita Nyong'o's palpable pain and misery as the hauntingly tragic Patsey; Paul Giamatti's pragmatic soullessness. And is there anyone better at playing a slimy little shit than Paul Dano? There isn't a false note in the entire ensemble.

And of course there's more. Sean Bobbitt's weaving, floaty camerawork. Hans Zimmer's excellent score (I'm particularly fond of the ominous, percussion-heavy music during the boat sequence). John Ridley's pitch-perfect screenplay, blessedly free of showboating speeches. Joe Walker's editing, which makes 134 minutes fly by without ever feeling rushed. And it's clear from watching the making-of documentary included in the Blu-Ray that Steve McQueen did an amazing job directing and guiding a very big, very challenging film. It's also admirable how much warmth and emotion he worked into it, without ever making it the slightest bit sentimental or softpedaling the material.

And yet, even though I have seen the film enough times to focus on details, it is still best experienced as a whole and complete experience that hits with the force of a tidal wave. It's almost without question, in my mind, the best and most honest movie ever made about the inexplicable horrors of slavery, as well as about the heroism and courage found among its victims. And also without question the finest film achievement of 2013." -- Jason Alley