Other actors give excellent performances as well. He's always a menacing and malignant presence even when not on screen, as his slaves must always be aware and prepared for his seemingly random bouts of sadism. By turns pathetic and terrifying, he embodies the ultimate nightmare of a deeply flawed man given absolute power over other human beings, and through that absolute power finds only madness, which drives him to deeper cruelty. If alive today, he'd likely be a drunk with severe anger management issues. He plays Edwynn Epps, a vicious and demonic slaver and perhaps the most loathsome and disgusting character ever put on screen. Micheal Fassbender gives the best performance of his already extremely impressive career, even besting his previous high marks from the films Shame and Hunger (both directed by Steve McQueen, who also directed 12 Years a Slave). It's a performance of incredible subtlety that may leave you speechless and in complete awe. He's forced to endure terrible things, but he always maintains a certain dignity and nobility that makes his plight even more affecting. As a result Ejiofor is forced to utilize body language and his eyes, which become enormous pools of emotion to express himself to the audience. Because of his character's position as a slave he is usually unable to speak his mind unless he is prepared to be beaten. He gives, quite simply, the best performance from a leading actor since Daniel Day Lewis in There Will Be Blood.
He's been a "that guy" actor for sometime – film-goers may know his face but not his name. It is a film that stimulates at both an emotional level and an intellectual one. 12 Years a Slave tells the true story of Solomon Northup, an educated and free black man living in New York during the 1840's who gets abducted, shipped to the south, and sold into slavery.
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