Very long epic biopic with impressive Ben Kingsley

Rating: Null/10 (16 February 2009)

Richard Attenborough's mammoth epic is worth seeing for Ben Kingsley's impressive lead performance. Kingsley IS Gandhi and dominates the film from start to end. The film copies the time line followed by 'Lawrence of Arabia' by choosing to begin with Gandhi's assassination and funeral. It glosses over Gandhi's lesser known but bizarre personality quirks, but that's a minor nitpick. However, it is overly reverent at times. Still, it is very engrossing. 'Gandhi' is very long and secondary characters are mostly short-changed as the film ambitiously shows India's partition and it's bloody aftermath. Recommended.
Overall 8/10