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| Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup has his last meal as a free man in "12 Years a Slave." |
“12
Years a Slave” has received universal acclaim, but what else would you expect
from a historical drama like this? For one, it exploits a painful time in the country’s
history, and two, it makes a hero out of a normal person. Look at “Schindler’s
List,” “Sophie Scholl: The Final Days,” and even last year’s “Lincoln.” All
three films were showered with praise for doing just that.
This is
exactly what I was hoping Steve McQueen wouldn’t do with “12 Years,” but I was
wrong. The English auteur threw out his signature raw style for a convenient
and rudimentary way of telling a story we’ve seen time and again.
