12 Years A Slave (9/10)

Two factors that made this movie so great: Director Steve McQueen and his lead, Chiwetel Ejiofor. McQueen knew how to showcase Ejiofor's complete transformation into his role, and Ejiofor gave McQueen his complete self.

From that scene where Ejiofor's character was beaten with a two-by-four until it broke, that immediately set the tone for me.

So many great actors were in this movie. From supporting casts like Michael Fassbender and Sarah Paulson, to the short cameos of Paul Giamatti, Paul Dano and Benedict Cumberbatch.

Two characters, though, that I wished had better, more impactful roles. One was Paulson's character, who should have had a stronger presence and an even fiercer portrayal. And the other was Dano, whose character was a typical bully in a lot of these slavery movies. In Paulson's case, I thought she could have done things differently, but Dano was on point for what he was given.

No doubt, the scenes belonged to Ejiofor, who was constantly dripping sweat (that had to be real), and Fassbender who really looked the tyranny part.

And McQueen was brilliant in those quiet moments he created. One shot of Ejiofor's face conveyed so much in terms of his emotional turmoil. And his eyes could speak.