An OK movie about a very great man

Rating: 8/10 (26 November 1999)

This is a fairly enjoyable movie. It tries to cover a lot of ground, and even though it is long, it seems to rush through many events in a way that makes it seem strangely disjointed. The two strenghts of the movie are the fine acting by Ben Kingsley, and the fact that it introduces Gandhi to a wider audience than would be otherwise likely. However, if you are hoping to gain any insight into the real Gandhi then you will be disappointed. The movie also has some historical inaccuracies. The first (South Africa) section of the movie is more interesting than the latter portions. If you have the slightest interest in learning more about the Mahatma I urge you to read his autobiography "The story of my experiments with truth". There will then be little doubt that this movie is not, and can never be, a whitewash to make Gandhi appear in a better light than he really deserved. I give this an 8/10, mainly for it's entertainment value - as a biography it does not work.