A skillful rendition of a frayed ideology

Rating: 8/10 (12 April 2009)

It doesn't help that this film has been over-hyped. You'd think there was something more to it than its novel setting, the slums of Mumbai. But if there is something noteworthy about it, it's not the ideas expressed in it, but rather the direction which is pretty impressive. I'm still not sure how Boyle pulled it off. The whole first half-hour or so I was really distracted trying to figure out just what had been done to capture the action in the way it was. It was as if it was captured as it happens where a lot of what you see has already started by the time you focus on it. It's very effective and in no way reminiscent of a documentary but rather real life experience. Aside from that, however, the story is fairly lame. It's well acted and filmed, and I wouldn't call it a waste of time in any way, but it left me with little more knowledge than I had had before I'd seen it. Possibly for people who haven't experienced third world slums, it might be enlightening, but I've been there and it didn't shine a bright light into any dark corners for me.