Slumdog Millionaire Review

 

Danny Boyle is an amazing director.  His films have heart, and he never makes the same film twice.  I get excited just hearing that he’s thinking about making a movie.  With is latest effort Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle takes his storytelling skills to another level.  He proves that his ability knows no bounds, and that he can tell a story that takes place in a country not his own, and still have the characters live and breathe perfection.  

 

Slumdog follows an indian boy Jamal Malik that becomes a contestant on the Hindi version of Who Wants to be A Millionaire, so that he can get the attention of the woman he loves.  Through expertly done flashbacks we get to see Jamal grow up.  We see him as a young boy that looks up to his brother, and looses everything that is dear to him because of his faith.  We see him fall in love, and show compassion while doing whatever it takes to stay alive.  Each and every flashback explains how Jamal knew the answer to the questions on Who Wants to be A Millionaire. 

Jamal is an extremely well written character that displays layer after layer of emotion and is never once unbelievable.  I felt sorry for him when times were tough, and laughed with him when times were good.  I cared about what happened to him.  I cared what happened to all of the characters.  I can’t praise this film without praising the writers Simon Beaufoy (screenplay), and Vikas Swarup (novel).  The script is solid.  Rarely do I watch a film that makes me worry about the secondary characters, or the bit players like this film did.  Even the backdrop of the Indian landscape was a character that I began to care about.  The densely populated streets, beautiful architecture, and vicious underbelly of India are all powerful characters themselves.  I found myself wanting to learn more about place that Jamal called home.  

Danny Boyle has crafted a film that deserves to be seen, and should be seen by as many people as possible, no matter what their race, creed, or geographic location.  This is a beautiful film that I am excited to recommend to everyone.  Slumdog Millionaire is positively a killer film.

Rating: