Since most readers are well aware of the plot of Slumdog Millionaire I wont go into too much plot detail. Jamal Malik (Patel) is arrested, under suspicion for cheating, after contesting the Indian version of ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’. Through flashbacks we discover that behind the answer to each question he gave there is a story and that the whole tale revolves around his search for Latika (Pinto), the girl he loves.
Visually Slumdog is a beautiful film, cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle beautifully captures not only the filth, the pollution, the poverty but also the colour and the beauty of India‘s slums. The editing is spot on while the music and score perfectly compliment the film.
However Slumdog is not a great film. The acting across the board is good but unexceptional. Why Anil Kapoor, who plays the host of ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’ Prem Kumar, got so much critical acclaim is beyond me. The central love story of the film is unconvincing due to lack of chemistry between Dev Patel and Freida Pinto. Indeed casting the gorgeous, if untalented, Pinto opposite the youthful Patel is probably the worst casting since DiCaprio was cast opposite Winslet in Titanic.
Simon Beaufoys script is functional rather then inspiring and undeserving of the Oscar for Adapted Screenplay which surely should have went to Peter Morgan’s excellent screenplay for Frost/Nixon. Nor should Danny Boyle have won the best director Oscar. Don’t get me wrong Trainspotting (1996) , 28 Days Later (2002) and Sunshine (2007) were not only among the best films of the last decade but also unique films that offered a new perspective on tired genres.
With Slumdog Boyle again tries something different, attempting to combine elements of traditional Hollywood and gritty foreign films. From this point of view he succeeds in making a film containing some the harsher aspects of poverty in the third world accessible to a general audience. Any attention brought to the plight of the third world however should be put in context, Danny Boyle is not exactly Mother Theresa.
So is it worth watching, yes it is. Is it as good as the Oscar tally would have you believe, no it is not. I think the inherent problem with Slumdog Millionaire and Danny Boyles weakness as a director is his inability to portray romance on the silver screen.
Rating: 3.5/5
