There are those you don’t have luck. I like to think that for everyone without it, there is someone like Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) in Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire. Jamal has it alright. He has enough luck to get from the tough streets of Mumbai to the final question on India’s version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Now is this tale simply lucky, or is it implausible?
Our film starts off with Jamal on the receiving end of torture. He’s being investigated for fraud because he’s doing better on the quiz show than expected. He’s from the slums and the police believe it is impossible for an uneducated kid to excel on this grand of stage. Once they decide to question him, he reveals how during the course of his tough upbringing that he came face-to-face with the correct answers.
Jamal takes the police back to his life on the streets. He tells them about the mishaps/adventures he shared with his older brother Salim. Here the film resorts to not just toilet humor, but outdoor toilet humor. The brothers then trek through the beyond dirty streets of the city. After dealing with a heartbreaking religious attack, they are left on their own. It is at this point they find the orphan Latika. As a trio they, have a remarkable journey. Jamal develops feelings for Latika but their unstable situation keeps pulling them apart. As the years go by, the flashbacks catch up with the plot and we see why Jamal has gotten on the game show.
Those familiar with director Danny Boyle have seen his presentational flamboyance. Slumdog Millionaire marries the cinematography from The Beach with the chaotic editing of 28 Days Later. In addition to this, subtitles float in the air comic book style for a refreshing effect. The visuals are just the right speed to be able to register with the mind, and I particularly like the montage sequence set to M.I.A’s song “Paper Planes”. The cast evolves as the protagonist ages, but each set yields results that make you care about them. I liked the framing device of having the police investigator coax the relevance of each answer from Jamal, but maybe the torture element was overdone.
The flaws in the film are distracting. Boyle has time and again made these mistakes, which are so powerful they cripple films. Many of his films as 50% amazing, but sabotaged. My biggest peeve, in this film, is the inconsistent nature of Salim. Here is an older brother who is quick to cheat him then save him. That’s understandable for a dynamic character but when he repeats this cycle for two hours, it is out of control. Benedict Arnold has nothing on Salim Malik. Furthermore, the idea that Jamal is tortured by the police simply because he is doing well on a game show, that’s far fetched. Now look, the game show presents it’s answers in multiple choice. Therefore, it is possible for any contestant to guess the correct answer. One answer went as far as appearing from what I assume to be a vision, albeit an out of place one. Mostly, it didn’t trouble me that the vast majority of the questions related directly to Jamal’s life. What troubled me is the stupidity of everyone questioning him. Lastly, it seems that the movies can never give equality because the female lead is again forced into prostitution. What an example it shows that the only way for a girl to be whisked off her feet is if she has fallen so far.
When taking everything into account, Slumdog Millionaire is a fun film and certainly worthy of viewing. The editing has a character to it that grew on me, and in general it’s pretty to watch. For first timers, the acting was remarkably good too. The trouble is that for a film which licenses from a show about intelligence, it’s unfortunate you have to turn your brain off. ***
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