Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

3 out of 4

Starring: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan

Director: Danny Boyle, Loveleen Tandan

Time: 120 mins

Viewed: Multiplex Cinemas at Town Centre Plaza, East Windsor, New Jersey

Fairytale rags-to-riches story set in Mumbai, India, chronicling the life of a boy (Patel) growing up in the slums who eventually becomes a national sensation when he is one question away from the ultimate prize on TV's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Story is fairly straightforward, but Danny Boyle's energetic direction deftly captures the chaos and beauty of Mumbai, interspersed with touches of romance, humour, and suspense. Graphic and harrowing first section, though, may render repeat viewings less appealing. Now, though the performances are certainly engaging and there are some crowd-pleasing moments, and the movie as a whole is a satisfying entertainment, it's a little mystifying to see why this has been so celebrated in Hollywood circles; in a way, one could compare this to Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), which was similarly lavished with plaudits and welcomed as something new and breathtaking, when many Asian (especially Chinese) viewers would have thought it as a case of been there, seen that. This is certainly not belittling the efforts of all involved, as Slumdog is a great achievement and a good film, but one must wonder about the industry sometimes.

(c) Joe Wong (1 February 2009)