RATED: Extraordinarily Satisfying*****
Director:
Danny Boyle
Writer:
Simon Beaufoy
from a
Vikas Swarup novel
Writer:
Simon Beaufoy
from a
Vikas Swarup novel
This is without a doubt the most joyous film of 2008. Director Danny Boyle tries his hand at essentially a Bollywood film which is equal parts coming-of-age epic, love story, crime thriller, feel-good comedy, and gripping drama. The best part about it is how well Boyle keep it all together and never allows the film to collapse in on itself.
Using probably the most ingenious storytelling device I have seen in a while, Boyle's film begins with our hero Jamal Malik (played very well by Dev Patel) being tortured by the local police. He has just won 10 million Rupees on India's 'WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE?' and they think he's cheated, so they decide to beat and electricute the fact out of him. He tells them plainly that he "knew the answers". They let him down and then sit through his episode of Millionaire so he can explain just how he knew the answers.
Malik begins to tell us his life story and how the answers to the questions came from the tumultous events in his life. We see Malik and his brother Salim grow up as orphans and beggers and rise to become mini-entreprenuers. We meet Latika, Malik's first and only true love. We runs into gangsters and Indian movie stars (which, by the way, was one of the best scenes in the whole film...you'll know it when you see it). I'll leave the rest of the story for you to enjoy, and believe me it is quite a wonderful adventure. I found myself crying one moment, then laughing, then gasping from shock.
The film, exisiting in three different time frames, is so well-crafted and plotted that it just might be the most perfect film of the year. The last fifteen minutes are definitely pitch perfect and flawless. Nothing is wasted. Boyle's visual flair is on display, infusing the film with an eccstatic energy. Almost every shot is canted, which may speak to how the brave and lost trio of heros, our Three Musketeers, see the crazy, turbulent world around them. I would wager to say that this is Boyle's masterpiece, but I'll bet he's got a few more in him.
Using probably the most ingenious storytelling device I have seen in a while, Boyle's film begins with our hero Jamal Malik (played very well by Dev Patel) being tortured by the local police. He has just won 10 million Rupees on India's 'WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE?' and they think he's cheated, so they decide to beat and electricute the fact out of him. He tells them plainly that he "knew the answers". They let him down and then sit through his episode of Millionaire so he can explain just how he knew the answers.
Malik begins to tell us his life story and how the answers to the questions came from the tumultous events in his life. We see Malik and his brother Salim grow up as orphans and beggers and rise to become mini-entreprenuers. We meet Latika, Malik's first and only true love. We runs into gangsters and Indian movie stars (which, by the way, was one of the best scenes in the whole film...you'll know it when you see it). I'll leave the rest of the story for you to enjoy, and believe me it is quite a wonderful adventure. I found myself crying one moment, then laughing, then gasping from shock.
The film, exisiting in three different time frames, is so well-crafted and plotted that it just might be the most perfect film of the year. The last fifteen minutes are definitely pitch perfect and flawless. Nothing is wasted. Boyle's visual flair is on display, infusing the film with an eccstatic energy. Almost every shot is canted, which may speak to how the brave and lost trio of heros, our Three Musketeers, see the crazy, turbulent world around them. I would wager to say that this is Boyle's masterpiece, but I'll bet he's got a few more in him.
VERDICT:
This complicated and beautiful film is a definite must see by all. Laid out flawlessly and plotted like the crime of the century, this exuberant piece of art is more an experience than just a mere movie. There is a power to this film which will bewitch you, and have you dancing in the streets Bollywood-style by the end.
This complicated and beautiful film is a definite must see by all. Laid out flawlessly and plotted like the crime of the century, this exuberant piece of art is more an experience than just a mere movie. There is a power to this film which will bewitch you, and have you dancing in the streets Bollywood-style by the end.
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