It is Written

Rating: 9/10 (22 November 2008)

Greetings again from the darkness. What a terrific story and interesting film to watch! One of my favorite overlooked films of the past five years is "Millions", also directed by Danny Boyle (best known for "Trainspotting"). The screenplay is by Simon Beaufoy ("Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day" and "The Full Monty") and is based on Vikas Swarup's novel "Q&A". Not really sure how to describe this other than a classic love story wrapped in a rags-to-riches story of survival.
We get a glimpse of India's underbelly without it being a guilt-ridden social statement. The movie is actually three parts interwoven beautifully. The working class pauper is having a nice run of success on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire". Of course his success brings with it the assumption of cheating. As he is being wickedly tortured and questioned by the police, we are provided flashbacks into Jamal's childhood which explain each of the answers he "miraculously" knows.
The only actor most American audiences will recognize is Irfan Khan as the sadistic police interrogator. Mr. Khan will be remembered as the wise father in "The Namesake". Despite that, the acting is superb and we are treated to story lines of our three main characters at three different stages in their life.
This is purely expert film-making with a creative and multi-faceted story. I can't recommend this enough to anyone who enjoys interesting entertainment and appreciates Mr. Boyle's expertise.