Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

4.0

DRAMA/ROMANCE
U.S. Release Date: 11/12/08
Running Length: 120 Minutes
MPAA Classification: R (Violence, Disturbing Images and Language)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Cast: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal, Anil Kapoor
Director: Danny Boyle
Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy (adapted)
Cinematography: Anthony Dod Mantle
Music: A.R. Rahman
U.S. Distributor: Fox Searchlight

Review by: Carter Moulton

12/21/08

Director Danny Boyle (Sunshine, 28 Days Later, Trainspotting) makes every single shot in Slumdog Millionaire a unique artistic decision. What results is a movie that honors creativity and structure equally, while, in doing so, not wasting even an inch of filmstock. It gives Slumdog Millionaire its own personality. While viewing the film, we relate, sympathize, and listen to each moment as if we were interracting with another human being. The technical triumph that Boyle constructs makes Slumdog Millionaire one of the best pictures of the year.

The film's premise is about an eighteen year-old boy named Jamal (played primarily by Dev Patel). Born in the slums of India, he finds himself on the game show “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire." He’s one question away from the jackpot, and most people suspect that he's been cheating. In fact, he is arrested and tortured to ensure his authenticity. The film basically retells Jamal’s life experiences cleverly, using a method I won't reveal here.

Photo © Fox Searchlight

As Jamal tells his story to the skeptical investigators, Latika (played primarily by Freida Pinto), the girl he feels destined to be with, and Salim (Madhur Mittal), his brother, emerge as the most important roles in his life. Jamal has a very unloving relationship with his brother, and this unrest leads up to Salim’s vital decision-making at the end of the film. Latika has been Jamal’s love from the time they were young children. Their interactions are the anchor of the story. Simon Beaufoy’s adapted screenplay is suffused in adventure, and is told with the charm and excitement needed to capture an audience.

Now onto Danny Boyle. We’ve seen his creativity with Trainspotting, but pay close attention here. In order for any film to stand the test of time there has to be some aspect that makes it memorable. Slumdog Millionaire is certainly a crowd-pleaser, but it would easily fade if it weren’t for Boyle’s direction. His use of canted angles and consistency of camera distance dive into—and eventually become—the story. The way he displays subtitles is refreshing, floating them across the screen and further engaging the audience.

Frieda Pinto and Dev Patel play destined lovers courageously. There is never a sappy line or a distracting moment. It seems like every intern and assistant who worked on the film was aware of the perfect execution Boyle envisioned—even the soundtrack is fittingly hip. “Hip” is sort of the overall persona that Slumdog Millionaire embodies. It’s rare to see such a fresh idea done in such an innovative (but never self-indulgent) way. Films as gritty and real as this scarcely create such penetrating awe. For achieving these benchmarks, Slumdog Millionaire stands out as the one of the most refreshing films I’ve seen in a long time.