12 Years a Slave
The extraordinary true story of Solomon Northup.
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.
- Director
- Steve McQueen
- Signature
- Craft · Drama · Tension
- Worldwide
- $187M
Who's in it
Cast
The billed ensemble, with character names. Open any performer for their Nutevio filmography.
The Nutevio profile
Movie DNA
How 12 Years a Slave actually feels to watch, measured on the twelve traits our editors track across every Nutevio title.
Perfect if you enjoyed
Story overview
What It's About
Spoiler-free. Read the analysis below for the full argument.
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.
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
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Why We Recommend It
Why It's Ranked
12 Years a Slave appears in 2 Nutevio collections. Here is the argument behind each placement.
- Best Movies of the 2010s Ranked #45
Placed at #45 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
- Top 250 Movies of All Time Ranked #169
Placed at #169 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
The numbers
Box Office & Release
12 Years a Slave returned 9.3× its budget worldwide.
- Budget
- $20M
- Opening weekend
- —
- Domestic gross
- —
- International gross
- —
- Worldwide gross
- $187M
- Release date
- Oct 18, 2013
- Runtime
- 2h 14m
- MPAA rating
- —
- Language
- English
- Country
- United Kingdom, United States of America
Figures from the verified production record. Fields we cannot source are left blank rather than estimated.
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