I approached my viewing of Slumdog Millionaire, somewhat hesitantly. From my experience films with a lot of hype surrounding them rarely deliver and end being somewhat of a disappointment. However, Danny Boyle’s latest is one of those films which not only lives up to the hype but is the sort of the film anybody can relate to. It really is the feel good film of the year.
Through mixing a rags-to-riches story with an unconventional love story Danny Boyle takes us from the slums of India to the studios of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” as the films protagonist Jamal (Dev “Skins” Patel) attempts to win the coveted prize in order to reunite with lost love Latika (Freida Pinto).
However the film is far from being a simple fairy tale. It is a hugely entertaining piece of cinema, which pulls on all aspects of your emotions as we follow Jemal and friends through a series of horrific episodes, as they grow up parentless, homeless and without any real direction in life.
Dev Patel shines through in his first role since Skins, convincingly portraying the role as the everyman Muslim hero, who rises above the brutal dynamics of modern-day Mumbai to achieve hero status for his battle against the corrupt world he finds himself in.
Slumdog’s true triumphant though, is through the heart and sentiment of its subject matter, as well as it’s vibrant and colourful setting. With Slumdog, Boyle has not just created a film with an engaging story and with a powerful message behind it, but opened the Western audiences eyes to a provocative and vibrant world. Mumbai may have its problems but it prides itself on its sense of community.
MATT-ROBINSON.UK 
Leave a comment