The overall Oscar contender for Best Picture of 2008, "Slumdog Millionaire" is simply brilliant

Rating: Null/10 (20 November 2008)

The Indian police are faced with a quandary: How could a street urchin from the slums of Mumbai accomplish what doctors and college graduates have been unable to do-win the Indian version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" This is the mystery at the heart of this feel-good fairy tale from director Danny Boyle,the man who directed such memorable classics as "Trainspotting","A Life Less Ordinary","Sunshine"(the Oscar winner of 2006),and was the helm behind the science fiction/horror thriller "28 Days Later". "Slumdog Millionaire" works on all levels as simply brilliant as a forerunner of the 2008 Oscar race for Best Picture. One question away from winning 20 million rupees,Jamal(Dev Patel)is arrested on the suspicion of cheating. In order how to explain how an uneducated orphan could know the answers to the questions faced on the show,Jamal is forced to recount his life story for his interrogators. He must provide them with explanations for each answer has has correctly given,up to the penultimate question.
The real star of the film is the city of Mumbai which is gorgeously brought to life by Boyle's expert work. The overcrowded slums breathe energy into the film's atmosphere as the cameras careen in and out of the narrow streets of Mumbai's shantytowns. The city is characterized by extremes that define and parallel Jamal's life. Although each life-altering experience conveniently provides Jamal with the knowledge he needs later in life,the movie never feels overly contrived. The script weaves an engaging tale of penury,love and friendship. Jamal's life hurtles from extreme poverty to obscene wealth,but he is a character the audience will root for the entire way.
The film is intentionally gimmicky. It really casts a life of horror and squalor as an upbeat love story. But because the film never tries to be anything but an entertaining rags-to-riches narrative,it succeeds beautifully in every detail. One of the year's best films of 2008.