Jackpot: ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ plays to director’s strengths By KENNETH TURAN - Los Angeles Times Comments(No comments posted.) | Add Comments E-mail this story Print this story Comments Share Who would believe that the best old-fashioned audience picture of the year, a Hollywood-style romantic melodrama that delivers major studio satisfactions in an ultra-modern way, was made on the streets of India with largely unknown stars by a British director who never makes the same movie twice?
Go figure. That would be the hard-to-resist “Slumdog Millionaire,” with director Danny Boyle adding independent film touches to a story of star-crossed romance that the original Warner brothers would have embraced, shamelessly pulling out stops that you wouldn’t think anyone would have the nerve to attempt anymore. Because he’s a director who is always up for something different, Boyle’s films run an unmatchable gamut, from the punk operatics of “Trainspotting” to the sweetness of “Millions,” the shock of “28 Days Later” and the science-fiction theatrics of “Sunshine.” What unites all of them, though, is the unstoppable cinematic energy pouring off the screen that’s at the heart of Boyle’s always vigorous style. Given that, it was perhaps inevitable that the director would end up making a film in India, plugging effortlessly into the phenomenal liveliness and nonstop street life of the place. And he’s upped the ante by hiring the great A.R. Rahman, the king of Bollywood music, to contribute one of his unmistakable propulsive scores. What won the director over is the dynamic, almost Dickensian arc of “Slumdog’s” story, which begins with a multiple-choice question typed on the screen. “Jamal Malik is one question away from winning 20 million rupees,” it reads. “How did he do it? A) He cheated. B) He’s lucky. C) He’s a genius. D) It is written.” Jamal Malik (Dev Patel of the British TV series “Skins”), the slumdog of the title, turns out to be an impoverished 18-year-old orphan who works hurriedly serving tea to harried telephone solicitors in the great city of Mumbai. We see Jamal in two places almost at once in the film’s cross-cut opening. He’s on stage on the “Millionaire” telecast, being needled by Prem (Anil Kapoor), the show’s arrogant host. And he’s also in a police station the night before the final telecast, being brutally interrogated (“Slumdog” is rated R for “some violence, disturbing images and language”) because no one can believe that such a lowly, uneducated person has been able to answer all the questions that he has. To get back on the show for the final question – by explaining to the dubious police inspector (Irfan Khan) how he came to know what he does – Jamal has to tell him (and us) the story of his life, a story which, in true Frank Capra fashion, chance, luck, suffering and street smarts all play major parts. Jamal’s companion in most things is his older brother, Salim (Madhur Mittal), a hard-headed cynic where Jamal is a passionate dreamer, the kind of kid who is willing, in one of the film’s most piquant scenes, to wade through the offal from an outhouse to get to his hero, Indian film legend Amitabh Bachchan. 3-1/2 stars Rated: R for some violence, disturbing images and language Running time: 2 hours, 1 minute Written by Simon Beaufoy Directed by Danny Boyle Starring Mia Drake, Imran Hasnee, Anil Kapoor, Irfan Khan, Dev Patel, Freida Pinto http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2008/11/13/sidetracks/movies/doc491b34a156644882339888.txt
