Chiwetel Ejiofor Wants More than Survival in New '12 Years A Slave' Clip

Steve McQueen's stirring slavery drama 12 Years A Slave was always going to be an Oscar favorite, but after winning the People's Choice Award in Toronto and amassing a number of glowing reviews, the film has moved into the pole position. With its release coming up, Fox Searchlight is looking to capitalize on the solid word-of-mouth by unveiling a brand new clip.

Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as the real-life Solomon Northrup, a free black man who is scammed by a phony ad and forced into slavery. This new scene gives us a glimpse at the heartache he feels at all that he's lost, from his freedom to his family, and his unwillingness to simply roll over and let it happen. Ejiofor is predictably excellent, but it's also worth noting the physical transformtion undergone by Michael K. Williams, playing a fellow captive who has clearly felt the effects of slavery for a very long time.

Also starring Paul Dano, Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Fassbender, Dwight Henry, Quvenzhane Wallis, and Paul Giamatti, 12 Years A Slave opens in limited release October 18th before going wide November 1st.