Movie Review:Slumdog Millionaire

All Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) wants to do is find the love of his life. His life is about to experience a major change because he is one correct answer away from winning 20 million rupees in India's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. But his fantastic run on the popular game show is in question because he's suspected of cheating. How could Jamal, a poor, uneducated teenager get farther than anyone before him? In an effort to prove his innocence Jamal tells the police inspector (Irrfan Khan, The Namesake) his incredible journey that will prove paramount to his unprecedented knowledge.

Much of the film is shown in flashback and we witness an India unknown to many. India has slums and ghettos just like in America - many of its inhabitants are overwhelmingly poor so survival is the name of the game. The same is true for Jamal and his older brother Salim (Madhur Mittal). The young boys rely on their wits and each other to survive - from eluding deadly gangs in Mumbai to hustling tourists at the Taj Mahal. Jamal is all at once a thief, a liar and an imposter - but he oddly is still very good and caring at heart. All of Jamal's experiences reveal the answers to the very questions that the game show and its host (Anil Kapoor) asked him. But with each correct answer Jamal seems oddly indifferent about the money or fame. He only wants to find his true love, a beautiful girl named Latika (Freida Pinto), whom he met during his journey, fell in love with and eventually lost along the way. He doesn't know where she is but he knows that she's watching the show, along with the millions of others who now see Jamal as a hero.

Thanks to an adapted screenplay written by Simon Beaufoy (2008's Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, 1997's The Full Monty), Slumdog Millionaire is a fantastic must-see film. Director Danny Boyle (1996's Trainspotting, 2002's 28 Days Later...) crafts a beautiful story that doesn't stop to take a breath. The film moves quickly and it will leave you feeling a myriad of emotions. Jamal's rags to riches story is enriched by his love for Latika and his plan to win her. The cinematography is sterling as you get a peek of an India that you never imagined. More amazing are the film's performances as Dev Patel, Frieda Pinto and Madhur Mittal are relative unknowns making their first film. Slumdog will hopefully capture audiences as it did me. With its simple story it delivers a weighty message - one that may carry it all the way to Oscar glory.

Four stars out of four