Slumdog Millionaire
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Movie Reviews of Slumdog Millionaire
Movie Review: Stunning
Summary: 5 Stars
I know it's been said a million times already and I hate to sound cliché, but it's a statement that rings true every time you say it. Who would have thought Danny Boyle, a man from Manchester could have created such an award winning phenomenon. Slumdog Millionaire is a film I tried to keep away from as long as possible as I didn't want to seem like a person who jumps on the bandwagon. I guess it was inevitable that I was to see it eventually and tonight was the night. It has remained in my memory for a few hours so far and that lump in my throat has yet to subside. From start to finish I was completely engrossed and I have decided that those saying negative things about this picture are ones trying a bit too hard to steer clear of that dreaded wagon.
So the story itself is based around 3 main characters, 4 if you count the "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" host. Jamal the main character starts off in a police station as he is accused of cheating to win the "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" big 20 Rupees prize. Determined to prove his innocence to the Police, he starts telling them the stories of situations in his life which taught him the answers to the questions which he has inadvertently remembered for all that time. What we get to see as the game show progresses are a number of different defining events in Jamals childhood that are in one way heart breaking and in another heart warming.
He and his brother Salim remained very close to one another from birth and stuck together after their mother was killed. One night after the murder of their mother, they were sleeping in a container as protection from the rain and they met a girl named Latika. Jamal took this companionship from one of his favourite books and labelled them the Three Musketeers, although they could never remember the name of the third after Athos and Porthos. Salim's relationship is never too favourable towards Latika until they get older and after being split up at the still very early age, they meet up many years later and events get worse and worse with Salim raping Latika.
There are other events that take place which I will not spoil for the sake of your enjoyment, so I will now comment on the other amazing parts of the film. The acting was superb throughout and brought some genuinely surprising choices and showed us what they were capable of. Of course the young and teenage versions of Salim, Jamal and Latika were superb but unfortunately attracted accusations of these Indian child actors being taken advantage of. Whether they were or not doesn't take anything away from their fantastic performances. The adult versions of the three characters are played by the fantastically surprising Dev Patel (Jamal), Freida Pinto (Latika) and Madhur Mittal (Salim). Each delivered an astonishing performance, especially from the wonderful Dev Patel known originally to myself as Anwar from Skins in the UK.
The film was set mostly on location which allowed for the true tragedy of the Mumbai slums to be captured in all their glory. There have been things I've read that accuse Danny Boyle's picture of being demonising of the life in the slums. I don't know how you can demonise actual conditions being shown as they are, if anything I believe this is more complementary of the life in the slums. Although you could imagine it to be a very poor and dirty area, the slums are shot in a way that looks very artistic and in some senses quite beautiful. The soundtrack complements this immensely and I think without such spectacular music behind it, I think I would have had a whole different perspective on the film.
To those steering clear of the film because of its massive award success, I have only one thing to say. You're idiots, the lot of you. This is a beautifully artistic masterpiece that should be enjoyed by all film fans alike. I could talk for hours about the psychological implications of the life suffered by the children in this picture, but I have chosen not too. It's a brilliant film that I know as long as you give it a chance, you will love it.
Movie Review: 20,000,000 Rupees wasn't the prize...
Summary: 5 Stars
Slumdog Millionaire brings to life a most unusual but plausible story of a young man who had to raise himself with his brother on the streets of Mumbai and deal with his affection and ever increasing love for a young woman who seems to be pitifully elusive. In addition, he must fight against the thugs and street gangs, one of which his brother eventually joins for excitement and money. Yes, on the surface it's about a young man who is so good at the Indian TV version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" that the police torture him to make him reveal "his way of cheating" on the quiz show. However, this film goes so much deeper; we see his life in a series of flashbacks as he explains to the police just how he was actually able to know all the answers to the questions on the quiz show. In addition, the cinematography and the choreography lack nothing; I couldn't ask for better. The casting was wonderfully done with great care and the acting is extremely convincing--wow, what a group of actors they had in this movie! The musical score enhances the movie as well.
When the action starts, we meet two young boys who are brothers, the very young Salim (Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail) and Jamal (Ayush Mahesh Khedekar). After they witness their mother being brutally killed by an angry mob, the two young boys are defenseless and they toughen up pretty quickly to adapt to being on their own, although Salim seems to do a little bit better at it. Salim is not afraid of much and he even sells his brother's prized celebrity autograph merely because he wants the money for himself; when Jamal is upset about it Salim just smiles and says he got good money for it and so that makes it right. Already we are seeing Salim going to the wrong side of the tracks. Salim and Jamal also meet another orphaned child, Latika (Rubina Ali) and Jamal takes a liking to Latika almost immediately, he even feels that with a third kid they can be just like "The Three Musketeers!"
As time goes by we see the boys grow and develop; but Latika is sadly left behind when the boys climb aboard a moving train to escape the evil operator of an "orphanage" who likes to maim the youngsters who he forces to beg for money in the streets. Jamal misses Latika very, very badly but Salim just makes light of it; Jamal however is determined to find Latika and ultimately make her his own no matter low long his search for her takes. Eventually they do find Latika but Salim and Latika mysteriously spurn Jamal; and then it takes Jamal several years more to find Latika again. As adults, we see the grown Jamal (Dev Patel), Salim (Madhur Mittal) and Latika (Freida Pinto) coping with life and trying to work on relationships as best they can under horrible circumstances that I will not reveal here; I don't want to give you any spoilers. Of course, what you do know is that Jamal makes it onto the quiz show and he is well on his way to winning a lot of money; he even gets around the game show host Prem Kumar (Anil Kapoor) who tries to throw Jamal off with a phony tip on the answer to the next question on the quiz show.
The rest is left for you to discover; but I shall say you won't be bored. This is an excellent, poignant film that will leave you with quite a lasting impression. The extras on the DVD are quite well done, too. I especially liked the featurette entitled "Slumdog Dreams: Danny Boyle & The Making of Slumdog Millionaire." There are optional audio commentaries by director Danny Boyle and Dev Patel and producer Christian Colson and writer Simon Beaufoy. We get deleted scenes, too.
Slumdog Millionaire makes a great addition to your DVD collection; it did win eight Academy Awards including the Oscar for Best Picture and that alone proves this movie is very, very special. There is a modicum of violence so if you're turned off by that you may wish to reconsider; but the way this plays out is so artistic that you might just want to get this and enjoy it anyway.
Movie Review: Slumdog Millionaire
Summary: 5 Stars
Slumdog Millionaire is, in a sense, a modern day fairy tale of rags to riches. The story takes place throughout the city of Mumbai, from the bustling metropolises to the lowly ghettos, the scenery is quite astounding. In Dharavi, the hometown of the main character Jamal and his brother Salim, the brothers fight for survival amongst feral dogs and the rotting smell of trash. The hometown of these boys, Dharavi, is so fetid you can almost smell the putridity.
Jamal, who earns a living as a 'chai-wallah' serving tea to call-center workers and students in Mumbai, finds himself in the hot seat on the popular television show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." Jamal, who is a lowly worker, is expected to have a brief stay on the show, as doctors and lawyers even cannot obtain much more than 60,000 rupees before being ousted. Jamal has one unique advantage over former contestants however, Jamal has lived a very interesting life, one that has, in one way or another, presented him with the answer to all of the questions at different times throughout his life.
The opening scene is an energetic one, as Jamal is on the verge of snatching the ultimate prize, but this is just a brief glimpse of the future, first, Jamal's story, how he arrived at this position, must be told. Our first glimpse of Jamal as a young child is rather comical, but serves to demonstrate the putrid conditions of life in Dharavi. Jamal and Salim are working a community toilet for money when a local celebrity appears in their neighborhood. Salim locks Jamal into the toilet and Jamal, out of desperation, jumps into the filth below and swims out, lest he miss his opportunity to meet his childhood hero. This scene shows us Jamal's determination to achieve his goals despite any obstacle, a reoccurring theme throughout the entire movie.
Soon after this comical opening scene, the movie takes a rather dark turn. A sanguinous assault upon Dharavi is launched by fanatical Hindu's armed with anti-Muslim banners and clubs. It is in this scene that Jamal and Salim lose their mother, she is brutally executed before the boy's eyes by a fanatic with a cudgel. With their mother dead and no mention of a father, the boys are cast into the larger, uncaring world with nowhere to go for shelter. Along with the boys is a shy young girl named Latika, who is cursed by Salim and beloved of Jamal. The three children are found one day in a trash heap by a representative from a local orphanage in the hills. The boys and Latika at first praise this apparent saint, oblivious to his true intentions. The exploits of this man push the story to the brinks of the execrable, and serve to add yet another element of hell to the young boy's lives. The boy's eventually escape the orphanage, but are forced to leave Latika behind, as she is far from a world class sprinter. Later it is learned that Latika is one of the preferati in a prostitution ring in the heart of Mumbai's downtown. The boys exact their revenge upon the evil man later in the movie, when Salim shoots him in the face, giving him his first taste of killing, but certainly not his last. The movie is full of stimulating eye-candy throughout, with brief interludes of the boys marauding around the Taj Mahal to the night scene of downtown Mumbai. The movie appeals to the human heart, with casual scenes of life in the wealthier sections of Mumbai, to the caustic and fatal streets of Dharavi it shows many different levels of human suffering. The less than likely hero of the film, Jamal, serves as an example of the indomitable will, the refusal to give up what one believes in regardless of the consequences.
In the end, I found this bright, cheery film to be an honest representation of the human spirit. Jamal's indomitable will is inspirational, and the movie ends on a rather upbeat note, where lovers reunite, and Jamal becomes the slumdog millionaire.
Movie Review: An uplifting romance combined with quasi-philosophical exploration of ethical decision making
Summary: 5 Stars
The title says it all. The film is about diametrical juxtapositions: affluence and squalor, ethical duty and utilitarian abnegation of morality (e.g., Jamal's conscience vs. the callousness of the slave traders), true love and corporeal lust (e.g., the harem of Javed vs. profound sentiments between Jamal and Latika). Slumdog Millionaire's success lies in its insistence on extremes to offer a quasi-Dickensian social critique. Though this viewpoint certainly represents nothing novel, the film is strikingly original in its multilayered approach. It is at once a credible romance, tracing the development of Jamal's and Latika's relationship to serendipitous fruition from their life as street kid "musketeers" through Latika's unhappy position as the sex toy of a polygamous, abusive husband; a documentary that affords a seemingly panoramic view of Indian culture, including a coldy realistic portrayal of the law enforcement officials and the horrors of the child beggar slave trade; and a philosophical commentary on justice and free will. This latter point is of particular importance to the film's message and is particularly illustrated in the sequence involving the show's two final questions that he does not know the answer to.
First, in the move that gets him arrested, Jamal picks an answer different from the one that the quiz show host writes on the mirror in the bathroom. What is interesting here is why he does this. Perhaps he is reacting against the host's obvious contempt for him as one nouveau riche Indian to another by deliberately picking a different answer. More plausibly, however, it is because of Jamal's resistance to choose any answer that he didn't pick of his own accord. In this way, the film equates the apparent randomness of answering a multiple-choice question correctly when one doesn't know the answer with the often apparent randomness of making good ethical choices. Jamal's slumdog background would indicate to the authorities that he should have been taught no moral principles and thus would choose the sleazy way out by cheating, yet he seems to have an innate sense of right and wrong. Jamal's choices may seem more random since they are untutored by a principled upbringing, yet the attempt is to show -- if we grant Boyle the, again, quasi-Dickensian supposition that any individual at birth has a greater propensity toward good than evil -- that the poor and disadvantaged person may, in fact, be more likely to choose right because he is less tainted by the learned behaviors of acquisitiveness.
Second, in a twist of dramatic irony, Jamal is asked what the name of the third musketeer is and is unable to answer even though he, Latika, and his brother Salim used to call themselves the "Three Musketeers." In a scene of tremendous energy and tension, Latika, who has been released from her bondage rather unexpectedly by Salim, had rushed to the show to meet Jamal. Because Jamal doesn't know the answer, he uses the "phone-a-friend" option to call Salim, but instead reaches Latika, whom Salim had given the cell phone and who has now arrived at the show. She doesn't know the answer either, so in the end Jamal ends up randomly picking the first available answer, A, Aramis, the right answer. This wonderful sequence ties in the themes of fate and justice while reiterating the illustration of moral dilemmas from the first question. Jamal's life has been one of degradation and subjugation, as well as waiting and hoping to be with the woman he loves. It is therefore poetic justice that the answer to the final question should be the first available one.
Some have claimed that the film is nothing original thematically. To them I ask, well what isn't? In the end, it's how one treats the themes that matters. Therein lies the originality of this film, easily one of the very best made in the past 10 years.
Grade: A
Movie Review: So are you ready for the final question for 20 million rupees?
Summary: 5 Stars
Slumdog Millionaire is a rags to riches saga, and it's also the oldest story in the world: Boy meets girl. Boy gets girl. Boy loses girl. Boy tries to get girl back... But yet, in so many ways, it takes what could be such a dusty old story and makes it new again. Even the premise of a game show on first blush seems like it will yield little if anything of interest, but even though I am not a fan of these silly game shows (except of course Jeopardy, which challenges the mind) I was enthralled by this movie.
And on top of the compelling story, you also get a most fascinating backdrop: India, and the City of Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay. You get teeming slums filled with poor but resourceful people juxtaposed with the splendor of the Taj Mahal; you get an ancient culture making rapid fire changes to a modern one, transforming before your eyes. Slumdog Millionaire is quite an achievement, and one that seems to have come along at precisely the best time: Like the game show, it offers an escape in times of economic strife.
The device of the game show is brilliant, as it allows the questions, and the subsequent interrogations, to each trigger a flashback, an episode in the past that will illuminate how Jamal Malik, the nominative Slumdog Millionaire, came to know the answer. Sure, there is some luck involved, but oftentimes a memorable event in Jamal's past will make the answers stick in his mind. As we discover how he knew the answers we also learn about how much he loves Latika, and how his brother Salim became a gangster. The performances of the three characters in that "bazaar" love triangle, as children, and then young adults, were brilliant. Kudos to Dev Patel, Madhur Mittal, and the lovely Freida Pinto. Anil Kapoor was brilliant as the show host, Prem Kumar--a younger, Indian version of Regis, but with an edge.
Prem Kumar: So are you ready for the final question for 20 million rupees?
Jamal Malik: No, but maybe it's written, no?
Prem Kumar: Maybe...
The Darkest Light [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Great Britain ] (1999) (Simon Beaufoy, writer & director)
The Full Monty (1997) (written by Simon Beaufoy)
Slumdog Millionaire: A Novel Vikas Swarup
DIRECTED BY DANNY BOYLE
Sunshine (2007)
Millions (2004)
28 Days Later (Widescreen Edition) (2002)
The Beach (2000)
A Life Less Ordinary (1997)
Trainspotting (1996)
Shallow Grave (1995)
Middle Salim: Shut up! The man with the Colt 45 says shut up!