“Slumdog Millionaire” is an outstanding film on each and every front of the movie making and movie watching experience, fully deserving of its astounding 8 Academy Awards. Director Danny Boyle takes Simon Beaufoy’s screenplay (a loose adaptation of the 2005 Vikas Swarup novel Q & A) and creates an exciting movie that offers tension and suspense by juxtaposing three different fronts in a simultaneous and riveting fashion.
The story opens in present day Mumbai; an opening placard indicating that 18 year old Jamal Malik is one question away from winning the Indian version of the popular game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire. Mirroring the style of the game, the audience is given 4 choices to ponder including luck, fate, guesswork, and foul play as to how Jamal has managed to get this far.
Rather than celebrating the incredible feat, Jamal is seized by local authorities and brutally interrogated – the police are convinced the only way the impoverished young man could have advanced this far in the game is by cheating. “What can a slumdog possibly know?” The lead officer asks as Jamal is tied and senselessly whipped.
Director Danny Boyle (“28 Days Later“) does a masterful job of infusing quick cuts with extended scenes, perfectly blending action and dialogue as the story unfolds. “Slumdog Millionaire” is presented to the viewer on three distinct fronts in Jamal’s life; his time with the interrogators as they go through each of the questions he has successfully answered thus far, clips of him on the game show itself, and flashbacks unveiling the harrowing story of his life leading up to the events of the present. The movie manages to make equal the high stakes tensions of an armed organized criminal and being under the lights of a Bollywood television set.
Dev Patel is flawless as the focal character of the film. Beginning as a young boy in the decrepit ghettos of Juhu, Jamal is a firsthand witness of carnage and violence on a daily basis as he lives through a series of tragic events such as pursuit by guerrilla soldiers, a physically and verbally abusive schoolteacher in an extremely cramped classroom, and the chaotic and bloody Bombay Riots. Patel is a great casting choice as he looks perfect the part of an ordinary working class man who grew up under extraordinary circumstances. You simply can’t avoid wanting Jamal to succeed as you watch and experience everything he has been through in his life.
One of the best and more subtle skills Patel displays is when he is on the television show. Far removed from the violent and sinister streets he grew up on, Jamal is just as intimidated as he becomes a national fan favorite, plodding through the questions presented to him. You can see the disdain in his eyes as he truly hates every event in his life that has brought him to the correct answers.
Jamal’s story plays out with his striving to survive alongside his older brother Salim (Madhur Mittal) and a decade-long relationship with the beautiful Latika (Freida Pinto). The love story between Latika and Jamal is one that doesn’t flaunt its obnoxiousness; you will actually find yourself rooting for the young couple.
“Slumdog Millionaire” offers unforgettable antagonists as well, perhaps none better than Anil Kapoor as the smarmy game show host seated opposite Jamal. Kapoor oozes a combination of phony intent and sleazy intentions in an effortless fashion, complete with expensive suit, thousand-dollar haircut, and diamond ear studs. On one front he is charming, charismatic, and humorous in the face of the television audience he performs in front of, on the other side a greedy and deceitful primadonna who would rather see anything other than a destitute like Jamal succeed.
Another great villainous performance comes from Ankur Vikal as the Mumbai gangster Maman, with whom the young brothers encounter as orphans trying to survive. Maman is a wicked sort who offers false hope to starving and homeless children, before unveiling his true intentions and lifting a mask that rivals the purest form of evil. Ankur Vikal takes a face that just looks nasty and blends it with cool clothes and sleek shades, the result being a perfect bad guy.
“Slumdog Millionaire” may not be what you would expect. Its a fast paced and high tension film that offers mesmerizing performances and an unusual script on the backdrop of perfect cinematography.
by – Matt Christopher
