Film gets better with viewer maturity ...

Rating: 10/10 (4 July 2006)

I first saw this film in ninth grade world history; it was 1986, and I was 14 years old. Like I cared! However, after seeing it again last year as an adult -- and now having watched it a few more times as I teach concepts of civil disobedience to college students -- the film really stands out as a masterpiece of the modern biopic.
Visually, it's stunning; the storytelling flows well, too. Some people might find it slow, but only if they're impatient. They should know themselves better than to watch this; they can get the condensed version on A&E Biography. The acting is superb, as every scene will highlight a different actor's abilities (many times, you will think "I know that actor!"), all reflected off Ben Kingsley's own amazing performance. For a generation, his face *is* Gandhi's. That's how well he blends into the persona. Look for Bernard Hill is brief appearance; you know him from *Titanic* and *Lord of the Rings*. Look for a very young Daniel Day-Lewis -- his face is just sort of growing into adulthood.
The film does take a time commitment; if you can't watch it in one sitting, don't bother. But from start to finish, you will see an amazing story of a person who should be a model for us all in this day and age. It's a sad commentary that he was murdered, and yet it's totally sensible in light of the modern-day religious zealotry that ruins our potential harmony.