Well, it is easy to see why this won the Academy Award for Best Picture - it's a 'worthy' issue film that is openly Oscar bait. That said, what an issue - and its treatment IS soundly delivered.
The cast is generally very, very good.
Chiwetel Ejiofor is absolutely mesmeric in the lead. He has come such a long way since his appearance as the 'nearly cuckold' in 'Love Actually'. He portrays emotion and depths of thought in such a way that the camera loves him. Matthew McConaughey must be superb to have pipped him for Best Actor (actually that decision was probably more about an American award going to the American candidate). I always believed in his portrayal of Solomon Northup.
Lupita Nyong'o tackles her first high-profile role (Patsey) in a manner that is unforgettable. Michael Fassbender is unremittingly brutal, never seeking to even slightly compromise his performance by seeking a tiny glimmer of sympathy from the audience. His screen wife, Sarah Paulson, does not have quite so much screen time as Fassbender, but she matches him in malevolence; hers is a gem of a part, bitter with spite.
The contrast between the stillness and beauty of nature, and the brutality of the treatment of the slaves is perfectly captured by the director Steve McQueen. Yet, I found McQueen's approach irritating. He has a predilection for running scenes on longer than they would normally. I understand the reason for this in places (e.g. the tippy-toe and soap scenes are deliberately extended so that the audience wants them to be over and not have to see them play out). However, he does it almost all the time throughout the entire film so that it becomes noticeable as a tic. Every time a new scene started, rather than sit and enjoy it, I found myself evaluating when I would have made the editorial cut. Indeed, the impact of the two aforementioned scenes (surely supposed to have the most effect on the audience) would have been all the greater if they were the only two extended scenes in the film. Even in these I was distracted by wondering when McQueen would finally turn off the camera. I felt that 20-30 minutes could have been quite easily cut from the movie without any loss of its impact.
Several have commented on how Brad Pitt's cameo is out of place with the general tone of the film. I could not disagree more. Pitt's turn was as unsubtle as that of 'the slave supervisor with a conscience', the director's filming of extended scenes, and a totally irrelevant 'sort of' sex scene playing as counterpoint to the marriage bed sequence at the start - these were all used as blunt instruments to put across the story's central point.
However, these are, in the end, fussy details. Beautifully shot, the film works, and works well. It successfully presents the full horror of past inhumanity whilst commenting on contemporary society's attitudes (slavery is still alive and well today). It is already on my list of films to show my children when they are older to instruct them of the horrors of the world; it will feature alongside 'Schindler's List' and the first 30 minutes of 'Saving Private Ryan'. It is a cinema visit worth making.