Steve McQueen’s heist drama is starry, sleek and majestically composed, with an emotional depth that sets it apartSee the rest of the UK countdownThe best culture of 2018Steve McQueen’s previous film, 12 Years a Slave, won the best picture Oscar (plus supporting actress and adapted screenplay), the best picture Bafta (plus best actor), the Golden Globe for best drama and innumerable other prizes, including, perhaps most significantly, best director at the inaugural (and final) Guardian film awards.It performed surprisingly well at the box office, too, taking $56m in the Us despite scenes of a wildly upsetting nature, and changing the ambition, scope and effect of cinema for ever.
It also – not a little thing, this – affected many generations’ perception of the reality of slavery and its legacy for modern-day race relations.
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