Slumdog Millionaire (15)
Director: Danny Boyle (Sunshine, Trainspotting)
Starring: Dev Patel, Irrfan Khan, Madhur Mittal, Freida Pinto, Anil Kapoor
Is destiny written?
You join us here tonight on the brink of history being made…
The lights go down and a hushed audience are on the edge of their seats…
Before them an 18-year-old Mumbai slum kid named Jamal (Dev ‘Skins’ Patel) is about to face the winning question on 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?'…
But things don’t always run according to plan, and before you can say ‘police brutality’ Jamal is arrested and tortured – accused of cheating. We get a ringside seat not only at the interrogation but also to a series of fascinating, exciting, heartbreaking flashbacks whereby Jamal explains how he came to know the answers.
This is could have been a schmaltz-fest of sob worth proportions charting the story of a poor, uneducated Indian teenage slumdog beating the odds, winning big and maybe even getting the girl in the process… Rather, I’m delighted to say that in the hands of Danny ‘Sunshine’ Boyle Slumdog Millionaire sparkles, crackles and captivates with a soul pleasing vibrancy. There is enough grit injected to make this a credible and altogether excellent film, worthy of all the high praise that is being directed at it.
The cast are top, Older brother Salim (Madhur Mittal) and absolute stunner love interest Latika (Freida Pinto) are both superb, as is the slimy and detestable host of the game show Prem Kumer (Anil Kapoor).
The interplay between Jamal and Prem is compulsive e.g. as the tension builds to the climax Prem asks him: “So are you ready for the final question for 20 million rupees?”
Jamal replies : “No, but maybe its written, no?”
Just great stuff…
Slumdog looks great and cracks along with a fast pace. You’ll laugh, you’ll smile, you’ll winch and maybe even bite your nails. From the moment you witness brave young Jamal leaping into a pile of crap in order to meet his hero film star, you’ll know that this is something a bit special that exceeds whatever preconceptions you might have.
The lights go down and a hushed audience are on the edge of their seats…
Before them an 18-year-old Mumbai slum kid named Jamal (Dev ‘Skins’ Patel) is about to face the winning question on 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?'…
But things don’t always run according to plan, and before you can say ‘police brutality’ Jamal is arrested and tortured – accused of cheating. We get a ringside seat not only at the interrogation but also to a series of fascinating, exciting, heartbreaking flashbacks whereby Jamal explains how he came to know the answers.
This is could have been a schmaltz-fest of sob worth proportions charting the story of a poor, uneducated Indian teenage slumdog beating the odds, winning big and maybe even getting the girl in the process… Rather, I’m delighted to say that in the hands of Danny ‘Sunshine’ Boyle Slumdog Millionaire sparkles, crackles and captivates with a soul pleasing vibrancy. There is enough grit injected to make this a credible and altogether excellent film, worthy of all the high praise that is being directed at it.
The cast are top, Older brother Salim (Madhur Mittal) and absolute stunner love interest Latika (Freida Pinto) are both superb, as is the slimy and detestable host of the game show Prem Kumer (Anil Kapoor).
The interplay between Jamal and Prem is compulsive e.g. as the tension builds to the climax Prem asks him: “So are you ready for the final question for 20 million rupees?”
Jamal replies : “No, but maybe its written, no?”
Just great stuff…
Slumdog looks great and cracks along with a fast pace. You’ll laugh, you’ll smile, you’ll winch and maybe even bite your nails. From the moment you witness brave young Jamal leaping into a pile of crap in order to meet his hero film star, you’ll know that this is something a bit special that exceeds whatever preconceptions you might have.
So, for the win - is Slumdog Millionaire:
A: Excellent
B: Excellent
C: Excellent
Or D: Excellent…
Arbitrary Darkmatters final rating of: ööööööööö (9 - Superb)
Darkmatters quick reference guide: Action 7, Style 8, Babes 8, Comedy 7, Spiritual Enlightenment 8
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