There may be no more personal, visceral, or artistic director currently circling the peripheries of mainstream pictures than Steve McQueen. While his newest, 12 Years a Slave, looks to be his most polished to date, his ascendance into this kind of high production value playing field seems just strange enough to be hopeful he will maintain much of what made Shame and Hunger indispensable. It’s easy to question Brad Pitt again in a role with perhaps too much room to work a little too hard, however, there’s no denying the emotional power Chiwetel Ejiofor is unleashing, in this trailer at least. Thankfully, Michael Fassbender returns to play with the director who has given him the most to chew on. Like his previous collaborations with McQueen, Fassbender has a meaty role here, this time as the heinous slave owner.