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Craig Younkin
Movie Review
Slumdog Millionaire
By Craig Younkin Published November 24, 2008
US Release: November 12, 2008
Directed by: Danny Boyle
Starring: Anil Kapoor , Irfan Khan
R for some violence, disturbing images and language.
Running Time: 120 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $141,319,195
Directed by: Danny Boyle
Starring: Anil Kapoor , Irfan Khan
R for some violence, disturbing images and language.
Running Time: 120 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $141,319,195
B+
Boyle and screenwriter Simon Beufoy have created a pulse-pounding, tragic, and inspiring tale, very reminiscent of City of God in the way it portrays its subject.
“Slumdog Millionaire” is more than just a chance to hear those immortal “is that your final answer?” words again. The movie is a tour through the backward slums of Mumbai, following the life of one boy from his young age all the way up to his big chance at success, being a contestant on India’s version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.” The movie is directed by Danny Boyle ("Trainspotting," "28 Days Later") in an attempt to bring Hollywood and Bollywood closer together. Time will tell if “Millionaire” turns out to be a catalyst for that but what you can be sure of right now is that Boyle and screenwriter Simon Beufoy have created a pulse-pounding, tragic, and inspiring tale, very reminiscent of “City of God” in the way it portrays its subject.
The boy’s name is Jamal, played by three very good actors at different ages in his life. We first see him as an 18 year old, the movie going back and forth showing us his appearance on millionaire and his arrest on suspicion of cheating. See he was just about to answer the final question for the million when the show breaks for the night and being that there is no way a poor kid could possibly know these questions, he is arrested and made to prove to the police how he knows every answer.
The movie goes back and forth, giving us the question and then flashing back to the Mumbai slums where he and his brother Salim grew up. Everything is chronicled. How their mother was killed during an uprising, Jamal’s meeting of Latika, the girl of his dreams, the adventures he and his brother get into in trying to fend for themselves, and the encounters they have with gangs and other local scum. With each encounter we find out just how much Jamal has learned throughout his life and it all leads up to the big million dollar question.
The script by Beufoy is about as street as you can get. Kids growing up living in shit, so desperate to achieve something in life that they would even turn on a family member if it meant a way out of the slop. They’re exposed to death, squalor, prostitution, endless cruelty, horrible people. Some driven to commit murder or join gangs. And Boyle does a breathtaking and exciting job of taking us through every dirty, hopeless, garbage-strewn street corner; a perfectly energetic and pumping soundtrack accompanies the dangers, big-time dreams, and wounds of an India that lays almost completely in murk.
How they find humor (Jamal and Salim as Taj Mahal tour guides is classic), romance (Jamal is all about rescuing Latika from gangsters in a soap operatic, sappy but effective plot point later on), and inspiration (the millionaire angle never feels contrived or forced, making a damn good point about class and street smarts that serves as an astonishing rise from the gutter) is amazing. If one thing didn’t work it’s the dance-party scene during the end credits. Bollywood is all about people dancing, I get that, but when you have a movie that’s as brutal as this one, dancing feels a little out of place.
The kids playing these roles couldn’t be the first thing from out of place though. They’re all perfect here. Ayush Mehesh Khedekar and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail as the younger versions of Jamal and Salim find just the right crafty and naïve innocence of youth. Ashutosh Lobo Gaiiwala allows you to see the teenage Salim being warped by desperateness and anger into a violent thug. Dev Patel, as the 18-year old Jamal, comes off as a one-dimensional good guy but he also gives the character intelligence and an unbreakable spirit that makes him hard not to like. And Freida Pinto is a gorgeous and engaging love interest that you wish you could see more of. “Millionaire” surprised me, moved me, and in the end put a smile on my face. And that’s my final answer.
The boy’s name is Jamal, played by three very good actors at different ages in his life. We first see him as an 18 year old, the movie going back and forth showing us his appearance on millionaire and his arrest on suspicion of cheating. See he was just about to answer the final question for the million when the show breaks for the night and being that there is no way a poor kid could possibly know these questions, he is arrested and made to prove to the police how he knows every answer.
The movie goes back and forth, giving us the question and then flashing back to the Mumbai slums where he and his brother Salim grew up. Everything is chronicled. How their mother was killed during an uprising, Jamal’s meeting of Latika, the girl of his dreams, the adventures he and his brother get into in trying to fend for themselves, and the encounters they have with gangs and other local scum. With each encounter we find out just how much Jamal has learned throughout his life and it all leads up to the big million dollar question.
The script by Beufoy is about as street as you can get. Kids growing up living in shit, so desperate to achieve something in life that they would even turn on a family member if it meant a way out of the slop. They’re exposed to death, squalor, prostitution, endless cruelty, horrible people. Some driven to commit murder or join gangs. And Boyle does a breathtaking and exciting job of taking us through every dirty, hopeless, garbage-strewn street corner; a perfectly energetic and pumping soundtrack accompanies the dangers, big-time dreams, and wounds of an India that lays almost completely in murk.
How they find humor (Jamal and Salim as Taj Mahal tour guides is classic), romance (Jamal is all about rescuing Latika from gangsters in a soap operatic, sappy but effective plot point later on), and inspiration (the millionaire angle never feels contrived or forced, making a damn good point about class and street smarts that serves as an astonishing rise from the gutter) is amazing. If one thing didn’t work it’s the dance-party scene during the end credits. Bollywood is all about people dancing, I get that, but when you have a movie that’s as brutal as this one, dancing feels a little out of place.
The kids playing these roles couldn’t be the first thing from out of place though. They’re all perfect here. Ayush Mehesh Khedekar and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail as the younger versions of Jamal and Salim find just the right crafty and naïve innocence of youth. Ashutosh Lobo Gaiiwala allows you to see the teenage Salim being warped by desperateness and anger into a violent thug. Dev Patel, as the 18-year old Jamal, comes off as a one-dimensional good guy but he also gives the character intelligence and an unbreakable spirit that makes him hard not to like. And Freida Pinto is a gorgeous and engaging love interest that you wish you could see more of. “Millionaire” surprised me, moved me, and in the end put a smile on my face. And that’s my final answer.
Craig's Grade: B+
Craig's Overall Grading: 340 graded movies
| A | 10.9% | |
| B | 41.8% | |
| C | 31.8% | |
| D | 15.3% | |
| F | 0.3% |
