Inspired as much by my frustration at being unable to see either Spielberg’s Lincoln or Tarantino’s Django Unchained yet – two high-profile awards contenders both dealing with the topic of slavery – I chose to pluck this film from the to-watch pile. Director Michael Apted casts Ioan Gruffudd as William Wilberforce, the man who pushed the abolition of slavery through British Parliament, and does so in a light and breezy fashion that feels more akin to a TV drama rather than a big screen epic. The film is elevated by a strong supporting cast – including Albert Finney, Michael Gambon, Toby Jones and an early major role for Benedict Cumberbatch – but this is really no more than adequately entertaining and focuses way too much on Wilberforce’s personal health issues than the weightier matter at hand.