Perfect performance by Kingsley

Rating: 10/10 (4 June 2004)

Gandhi is not a perfect movie.
Far from it. Cliches are multiple. Story, despite being based on historical events, is nevertheless predictable. The use of background is hardly original. However, the movie is still entertaining on its own merits. Richard Attenborough did a very good, if not great, directing job.

What forces me to give this movie a 10/10 is one man: Kingsley. In his impassioned, restrained, and accurate portrayal of one of the most amazing men who ever lived, Kingsley, a relative unknown at the time, provides one of the most awe-inspiring performances that I have ever had the privilege to see, and most likely ever will see. I recently read a post for this movie that stated that the viewer will forget that he is observing an actor portraying Gandhi and believe that he is viewing the Mahatma himself. This is entirely accurate. Ben Kingsley plays the Mahatma Gandhi with such heart and emotion that I, just for a second, found myself believing that I was watching a documentary.
With his portrayal of Gandhi, Ben Kingsley has placed himself, along with Marlon Brando in the Godfather, Roberto Beignini in Life is Beautiful, Liam Neeson in Schindler's List, Bogart in Casablanca, Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia, upon a pedestal reserved only for the most magnificent actors ever to grace the screen with their presence. I honestly believe that Kingsley may have provided the greatest performance ever seen in any movie. If that does not merit a 10/10, I don't know what does.