Style over substance

Rating: 5/10 (15 February 2012)

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE shines through as one of the more fresh-feeling British films of recent years. I say that as somebody who's no fan of Danny Boyle, even though I've previously enjoyed a couple of his movies (namely 28 DAYS LATER and 127 HOURS). What stands out about this movie is its structure: the film has an unlikely contestant playing the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? and his back story is told via flashbacks relating to the answers of each question that he happens to know. It's gimmicky, but on a second watch I found this style-over-substance hyperactive approach to be distracting more than anything, and more than a little annoying. It also feel like Boyle overcomplicates things in order to hide plot holes and the simplicity of his plotting.
As for the storyline, it's completely clichéd, a familiar rags-to-riches tale of a youngster's rise from poverty in the slums of Mumbai to where he is today. Along the way, there's a sub-plot involving lost (and found) love, which screams 'predictable' if you look at it too long. The most harrowing scenes are those involving violence against the innocent. The story is set against a backdrop of corrupt policemen, religious violence and gangsters who have no qualms about mutilating children. Boyle doesn't hold back, and the film strengthens as a result of this realism. The cast are hard to fault; Dev Patel gives the one performance that he's entirely suited to, and Freida Pinto is the one to watch. On a second watch, I found my attention flagging; for a far more mature and complex look at slum life, CITY OF GOD walks all over this.