"In 12 Years a Slave, McQueen immerses viewers in the magnolia-scented hell to which Northup was exiled. You will recoil at every whiplash, feel each slur, wonder at man’s inhumanity to men and women he thought animals."

"12 Years a Slave is a scarifying, unblinking portrayal of life as it was for tens of thousands of people less than 200 years ago. It pulls no punches."

"Ruth Negga - Celeste"

"There are so many aspects that often don't [appear in ] depictions of people in those oppressive circumstances. "12 Years a Slave," for example-one thing I missed in that film was some sense of joy, some sense of pleasure, some sense of humanity."

"Bryan Batt - Judge Turner"

"Bill Camp - Radburn"

"[repeated line] Keep it real!"

"Dwight Henry - Uncle Abram"

"Cameron Zeigler - Alonzo Northup"

"Rob Steinberg - Parker"

"Quvenzhané Wallis - Margaret Northup"

"Jay Huguley - Sheriff Villiere"

"Kelsey Scott - Anne Northup"

"Christopher Berry - James Birch"

"[everyone's angry in UN] You know why they're so worked up in there? It's because they haven't had their tea yet! Come on!"

"Alfre Woodard - Mistress Harriet Shaw"

"Garret Dillahunt - Armsby"

"Scoot McNairy - Brown"

"Paul Giamatti - Theophilus Freeman"

"Taran Killam - Hamilton"

"Brad Pitt - Samuel Bass"

"Paul Dano - John Tibeats"

"Chris Chalk - Clemens Ray"

"Adepero Oduye - Eliza"

"Michael Fassbender - Edwin Epps"

"Lupita Nyong'o - Patsey"

"Chiwetel Ejiofor - Solomon Northup"

"Sarah Paulson - Mary Epps"

"Benedict Cumberbatch - William Ford"

"Michael K. Williams - Robert"

"Ali, come on, World War Three's breaking out, you need to do something!"

"Clemens: If you want to survive, do and say as little as possible. Tell no one who you really are and tell no one that you can read and write. Unless you want to be a dead nigger."

"I will not fall into despair. I will keep myself hardy, till freedom is opportune!"

"[Upon meeting his family again after 12 years] I apologize for my appearance. But I have had a difficult time these past several years."

""And that servant which knew his Lord's will... which knew his Lord's will and prepared not himself... prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes..." D'ye hear that? "Stripes." That nigger that don't take care, that don't obey his lord - that's his master - d'ye see? - that 'ere nigger shall be beaten with many stripes. Now, "many" signifies a great many. Forty, a hundred, a hundred and fifty lashes... That's Scripture."

"My name is John Tibeats, William Ford's chief carpenter. You will refer to me as Master. Mister Chapin is the overseer on this plantation. He is responsible for all of Ford's property. You too will refer to him as Master. This plantation covers many hundreds of acres, and you will traverse the Texas road between the forest site and the sawmill in double time. Any clever nigger on that path that gets a little light-footed, I will remind him that on one side men and bloodhounds patrol the border and on the other the bayou provides a hard living, with alligators and little to eat or drink that won't kill you. No slave has escaped here with his life. You're here to work niggers, so let's commence."

"What's he doing?"