He wanted to change their minds, not kill them for weaknesses everybody possesses.

Rating: 10/10 (20 September 2017)

Don't fear the 191 minute running time in this masterful epic that explains in a forward that documenting a year in someone's life like Gandhi is difficult enough, let alone a lifetime. The film starts at the end, with his assassination, where Ghandi simply exclaims "Oh no!" as he collapses. Going back more than 50 years, the young Gandhi is explaining his desires for peaceful protests which seem impossible in any era, yet HW persists. Multiple beatings, arrests, court appearances and public speeches keeps that ideal working, making this a lesson in how a huge nation under the control of another got its independence in ways clever, subtly manipulative, often tragic, yet ultimately triumphant.
This 191 minute epic then does indeed fly by, featuring one of the greatest screen portrayals of one of the greatest men ever. Ben Kingsley may not be a star, but his performance here gave him household name status, and years later, Steven Spielberg cast Kingsley as a Jewish man working with a non Jewish man to keep Jews out of the concentration camps, it was a reminder of how subtlety in acting creates a great portrayal that doesn't seem like acting at all. Kingsley is transformed into one of the great heroes of the 20th Century and not only looks like Gandhi for over 50 years of his life but makes you believe that he is Gandhi.
Under the incredible direction of Sir Richard Attenborough, this historical epic is brought to life. An all-star cast supports him, but many of the actors are only on for a few moments. The script shows that not all the British people in India were rotten, that a few came to the cause because they changed, some didn't have to because they believed in complete equality, and some were downright brutal. This also shows how Indian women were as involved in the fight as men were; in fact, his wife stands up to him in ways that would cause other men instantly kill or beat them. But not the gentle, peace loving Fandi, shown to have minor flaws but with fairness and dignity.
I first fell in love with the Indian countryside in "A Passage to India", and unfortunately feared that 191 running time in spite of the praise and awards heaped upon it. Unknowns outside of John Gielgud, Martin Sheen and Candice Bergen could have cast in their stead, and the film would remain as potent. But bravo to the casting of Ben Kingsley, because it would take somebody of enormous charisma to play Ghandi and make me not think of him. This is absolutely spectacular.