Slumdog Millionaire: Movie Review

Slumdog Millionaire: Movie Review

Rating8/10
Cast:Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Anil Kapoor, Ankur Vikal
Director:Danny Boyle
So it's finally here.
The film which

• a) Is The most awarded of the season
• b) Is The one which is picking up plenty of Oscar buzz
• c) Is the most likely to sweep the board
• d) Was destined to be released straight to DVD

Do you want to go 50/50 or ask the audience?
To be honest, it's highly unlikely you won't have already heard ofSlumdog Millionaire- based on thenovel Q And A by Indian author Vikas Swarup, it is as close to a feel good film as you'll get at the moment.
It's the tale of Jamal Malik, a former street child (The Slumdog of the title)
At the start of the film, he's just one question away from taking the top prize on the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? (hosted by Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor)
But Jamal's in a bit of a pickle - one which a phone a friend option won't get him out of.
Accused of cheating, he's being brutally tortured by the police who are desperate to know how one slumdog can know all the answers to such a wide ranging set of questions.
But Jamal starts to proffer up the reasons why he knows what he does - and in flashbacks, we see how life and destiny have taken their toll on him; as well as shaping his present day life.
From his relationship with his brother Salim to the love of his life Latika, this film winds together coincidence with reality so convincingly that you can't help but feel that Jamal's life is strongly controlled by destiny.
It's hard not to praiseSlumdog Millionaire- on close inspection, you can see why this film is doing so well with the critics.
It's about the triumph of life; and in these deeply uncertain economic times when life can be changed by the dropping of the exchange rates and the ongoing recession, Slumdog gives the viewer a feeling of the victory of humanity.
However, that being said - it's not an easy journey to get there.
Director Danny Boyle's latest is at times a love affair to a country and city (Mumbai) which has recently hid the headlines for the most hideous of reasons; terrorism.
But the squalor in which the film begins and the abject poverty will open many people's eyes to the reality of life in Mumbai.
It's difficult not to get swept away with the film - but it does require you to slightly suspend any reality because of how the questions on WWTBAM directly connect to Jamal's experiences.
Dev Patel (who you may know from TV dramaSkins) throws in a world weary turn as Jamal in the latter parts of the film.
However, it's the child actors (Ayush Mahesh Khedekar and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail) who portray him and his brother in their early days who shine - and blow Patel out of the water.
Even when they face capture from a local crime lord who captures street kids to ultimately blind them to make money from begging, the two young boy actors are great at conveying a degree of innocence as well as a nagging desperation to break free from their life of squalor.
Ironically this film itself was nearly shut down and sent directly to DVD - so in some ways, its continuing acceptance at award ceremonies is a direct parallel to the journey made by Jamal himself.

Slumdog Millionaireis probably likely to sweep the Oscars later this month - it won't have you leaving the cinema with a giant grin on your face (although the montage over the closing credits is worth staying for) but I can guarantee you will enjoy the journey and you'll probably go home feeling grateful for whatever lot you have in life.