Danny Boyle's Best Film to Date!

Rating: 10/10 (26 December 2008)

Slumdog Millionaire is one of those rare films that comes along every once in a while that is simply breathtaking, and it achieves this status not through big flashy special effects or massive Hollywood set pieces, but rather through its unique direction, superb writing, amazing acting, and genuine heart.
Slumdog Millionaire is the story of a young man named Jamal who grew up in the slums of India. Jamal has found his way onto India's version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire". The story starts, Jamal is only one question away from winning the jackpot, 20 million rupees, but the show ends shortly before he can get to the final question, so he must wait until the next episode to finish his run. After leaving the show, Jamal is kidnapped by the Indian police and is accused of cheating. Through his interrogation, Jamal describes in flashbacks just how he knew all of the various answers to the questions from different points in his life, as well we end up learning why he even went on the show in the first place.
This film is quite easily Danny Boyle's best film of his career thus far. It has all of his usual trademarks that you expect from his directing, but it has something more that many of his previous films did not have, a true heart. That's right, Slumdog Millionaire is one of the most heartfelt films I have seen in years, and Danny Boyle's kinetic direction keeps the film rolling at a terrific pace, while never forsaking the true heart of the story.
The film as well features terrific acting from all of its cast, especially Dev Patel who plays the oldest incarnation of Jamal. Also the film's script, written by Full Monty scribe Simon Beaufoy, is simply marvelous and is one of the best written scripts I have seen in a long time.
To sum it all up, Slumdog Millionaire is easily one of the best films I have seen in a while. It is Oscar worthy in every single sense. If you see just one more film this year, make sure that it is Slumdog Millionaire, you will not regret it.
I give Slumdog Millionaire a perfect 10 out of 10!