Slumdog Millionaire

There has already been some talk coming from Telluride that this film is set to be this year's 'Juno.' It does have the same distributor and it is set for the same release period, and for anyone who hears this buzz, they will definitely not be disappointed.

During the premiere of the final cut (in the words of director Danny Boyle) at the Toronto International Film Festival, the audience gave the film an incredibly enthusiastic response, and it went on to win the People's Choice Award. Boyle, who is somewhat like a British Richard Linklater for yet again surprising the audience with such diverse subject matter, worked his magic. He transcended genres and created a truly unique and energetic picture.

Just about every aspect of this film deserves merit, and above all it belongs to Boyle, who managed to assemble such a massive achievement. The score by A. R. Rahman, with contributions from M. I. A., perfectly accompanies the action on screen. Still, it is great enough to be listened to on its own. With India as a backdrop, Boyle and his cinematographer have composed some remarkable images. The acting is roundly impressive, especially coming from the younger cast, almost all of which has never acted before.

The film begins as Jamal (Skins' Dev Patel) is under interrogation by Mumbai police for cheating on India's version of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, being only one question away from winning it all. As the inspector says, even doctors and lawyers cannot come close to the 20m rupee prize, and so Jamal, having grown up on the streets of Mumbai, cannot possibly know these things. As Jamal tries to avoid further torture, he begins to explain to the police how he knew each of the answers. Flashbacks present Jamal's boyhood and explain how he got to the show.

At the centre of his journey is his brother, Salim, and a girl, Latika, who is left a homeless orphan after an attack that took Jamal's mother as well. After running from a man who exploits the trio for labour, Jamal replays the incident when Latika left his life when she was unable to catch a moving train. His uncertainty of her fate on the streets of Mumbai and his intense desire to see his first and only love again lead him to the interrogation room where the film began.

Like 'Juno,' Slumdog Millionaire is by genre a comedic drama, but it becomes much more. The film asks questions about fate, righteousness, greed, and even urban sprawl. Above all, however, it asks about love in the face of the most dire obstacles, and if it can truly prosper. Jamal's story is a tragic and unfortunate one, but as seen through his eyes, it is still beautiful. The vast colour palate of India overwhelm any negative feelings, and Jamal's hope of finding and being with Latika overwhelm despair. For Jamal, 20m rupees isn't his prize. It would be nearly impossible for there to be a better picture this year.

Bless us all, Danny Boyle is in his prime. His "Sunshine" was lifeatleringly effective for me. He does things with a camera that are new, effective. He does better than others in providing a story foundation that fits the cinematic effects. He's visually clever. Its all more than enough for me.

Here, he appeases audiences too much for my taste in building a happy ending that has you walking out actually believing that you have seen a happy romance, worthy of Bollywood dance fantasy. This, I suppose is his answer to those who were confused by "Sunshine"s failure to support a common genre. Alas, a shame.

But the cinematic bits are more than enough.

Quite apart from the romance, what we have here is a (unique I think) synthesis of the film (here a TeeVee show) within that affects the film without plus a similar device of memory within. Here it is both a recall and a storytelling. The earlier in life we go, the more hectic and jagged the visions. It starts with one of the three "City of God" types of choppy editing and slowly bleeds into a normally paced picture. But that "City of God" stuff was mostly just in camera motion, and intended to contrast with the other two "personalities."

Here it is in the camera, in the movement of the actors and deeply in the editing. Its integrated and cinematic. Its brilliant. I think that is because of the way Boyle has digested the results of Dogma 95. There was a lot of pretentious stuff in that manifesto, but its core and ultimately its effect has been the opposite of the intended. The capture of the natural to be true has to involve intrusive craft, not lack of craft. Boyle, without notice has picked up Dogma graduates for his crew, more this time than usual.

The beginning of this film is true, powerful, full of life, energy. It is real. As it progresses and our hero enters and is accepted into TeeVee land it becomes more romantic and unreal, more like a Bollywood romance. It is more powerful than any from Bollywood because we assume it to be real from the beginning. Clever.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

I FULLY AGREE that it is a good movie, no doubt about it, but it is highly overrated. If u people like this, there are 100s of other Indian Movies that are made much better than this(Both old and NEW). As for Rahman's music, it is GREAT (again no doubt). But this is definitely not his best. Pls go hear "dil se" and u'll know what i am talking about! Compare this movie to previous Oscar winners like American beauty, and well, u'll know wat i mean.

Verdict : To everyone who has still not seen the film, It's definitely a one time watch. Good music,Good story and Good (kind hearted if i may add) cast and crew. But i request you to watch it with an open mind. And by the way, Mumbai is not just a "slum area". :-)

This is a somewhat predictable but lovely film which combines an honest look at poverty in India with one of the best love stories in recent years.

Jamal who wants to find his long lost love Latika, goes on a game show called "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire". After he's suspected of cheating, he's interrogated and he starts to explain how he knew all the answers.

To say that this is expertly shot would be an understatement. It would be nearly impossible for another movie to win "Best Picture" over it. Every shot is amazing and not a single one seems worse than the last.

The clever structure of the film uses the backstory to explain how he knew each of the answers to show what life is like for much of India's population. Even some of the more disturbing things that go on are detailed very well in the movie.

The actors all did a great job. Especially the younger cast which is rather surprising considering that this is their first time acting for many of them. They acted well and I was sold in the first 20 minutes.

Unfortunately, the film's strength falters near the end. Blaming plot contrivances on "fate" seemed lazy and the happy ending felt a bit hollow to me. But besides this, this is still a powerful and moving film which will entertain you all throughout it.

This is a great movie. It has great acting and it was expertly shot. The movie details violence well and it's handled greatly too. This is Danny Boyle's best movie since Sunshine and Trainspotting.

It doesn't seem like a stretch to suggest that America might now be ready to embrace films in the style of India's Bollywood films. While "Slumdog Millionaire" is far from a Bollywood tragic love story filled with singing and dancing, the way director Danny Boyle will rivet audiences with his film that is authentic to Indian culture while using a distinctly Western style of film-making might be enough proof that there is a profit to be made here.

"Slumdog Millionaire" is a drama exposing the tragic effects of poverty in gigantic Indian cities like Mumbai that is also fused with a modern day Indian fairytale. Jamal Malik is a young man on India's "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire" and is a question away from one million dollars when he's arrested on suspicion of cheating. Because Jamal is from the slums of India and has no educational background, it seems entirely improbable if not impossible that Jamal could make it this far, but each question is connected with distinct and sometimes painful memories for Jamal. It's as if he is destined to win, even though he only went on the show to impress a girl he has loved his whole life, Latika.

Danny Boyle ("28 Days Later," "Sunshine") takes us from memory to memory as Jamal advances question by question toward the million dollars. These memories offer vivid insight into poverty in India as well as the lives of Jamal, Latika and Jamal's older brother Salim. As children they are left parentless and taught how to swindle tourists, leading to lives of little fulfillment or even corruption. Despite being separated, Jamal and Latika are reunited several times and in fact Jamal's only motivation in life is his love for her.

While the young, unknown, Indian actors are absolutely amazing in this film, the biggest kudos go to director Boyle, who creates an astonishing film. For Boyle to go from science fiction and zombie thrillers to taking on a project as daring and unusual as "Slumdog Millionaire" proves that he's not only a brave director, but a versatile one. His great success with making this film intense, eye-opening and full of heart all at the same time prove that he's also an incredible one. "Slumdog" is just the beginning for Boyle who might be one of the most progressive and talented directors working today.

It's hard to be completely blown away by a film whose core message is about destiny and leans on the fact that Jamal is simply fated to do this well in explaining what has unfolded, but like any good film ought to, Boyle makes you a fan of the characters and not care as much about the logistics as you might normally do. The fact that this film starts out so dramatic and real makes it hard to embrace the fairytale it blossoms into, but it's the great visual storytelling along the way that makes it so enjoyable.

~Steven C

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