grand epic from Attenborough and human scale epic from Kingsley

Rating: 9/10 (25 January 2015)

The movie starts with the assassination of Gandhi (Ben Kingsley) in 1948. In 1893, Gandhi faces racism in South African. He tries non-violent protest against the pass laws and gains notoriety. In 1915, he arrives back in Indian as a national hero. He supports the war and travels the country to reconnect with his homeland. The rest of the independence movement expect little from the little man but he quickly gains supporters. He urges for non-violence in a campaign for independence.
At first glance, it's a bit racist to cast Ben Kingsley as Gandhi but it is an impressive performance from a brilliant actor. Richard Attenborough has made a grand epic of human power. The great thing about Kingsley is that he is able to harness that power. It is a superior movie in almost every way. As in most historical biopics, there are some glossing over and some simplification which is to be expected. I can see some real hate for Gandhi and some who like to point out every flawed statement in his life. It's always a concern but it's nothing too egregious in this case.