A Creative Story Of Destiny Being Fulfilled

Rating: 7/10 (22 March 2009)

I found the biggest (and, for that matter, perhaps the only) problem with this movie was the opening 10-15 minutes. We're immediately confronted by young Jamal being tortured in a local police station. The purpose of the torture isn't entirely clear, but as those opening minutes gradually unfold we discover that he's been accused of fraud, after authorities believe he cheated to win 20 million rupees in the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" - their suspicions backed apparently entirely by the belief that a lower class person such as Jamal couldn't possibly have enough knowledge to have answered all the questions! I found the opening strange, to be honest, and it didn't pull me in - but here's where I have to give the movie credit. When a movie loses me off the top I usually don't get back into it. "Slumdog Millionaire" accomplished that. Once the story really got going I was impressed by the creativity involved. Basically the plot follows the "Millionaire" episode Jamal was on question by question, explaining how he could know the answers by telling us of his background. That was a very imaginative plot device, and the account of Jamal's background was stunning - it portrayed a gripping account of India's poverty-stricken lower classes, and a real study of love and commitment as we follow Jamal, Lakita and Salim through their adventures. Director Danny Boyle deserves credit for creating such a believable picture of Mumbai, and one is truly drawn into wanting to discover the fate of Lakita. In the end, this becomes a love story - a story of destiny being fulfilled in spite of all the odds that seemed to be stacked against it. I wouldn't personally place this on the heights that some have assigned it to, but would still highly recommend it as a very good movie indeed.