I thought about writing a standard review of “Slumdog Millionaire”. But at this late date, either you’ve already seen the movie, and don’t need me to tell you what to think about it; or you have decided to see (or not see) the movie, and anything I say will probably not encourage you or discourage you very much. So I’ll leave my encouragement to: “If you haven’t seen it, by all means go (or rent).”
What I would like to do, though, is encourage you to explore other films by the director, Danny Boyle. Three in particular. Think for a moment about the actual *content* of Slumdog. You probably liked this movie IN SPITE OF, not because of, its depiction of a uniquely horrid life. If I told you in advance that the movie featured despicable gangsters, pimps, child slavers, fratricide (imagined), raging violent religious zealots, and scenes of torture, appalling slum life, feces-swimming, and various other sordid activities, would you have turned up your nose, and said, “Uh, I don’t think so?”.
Well, Mr. Boyle has a record of turning just such turn-offs into exceedingly watchable cinema. He starts, of course, with a good story, and then uses not only time tested tricks (think of the game-show overlay, with the overnight arrest, as the driving narrative force), and keeps a clear head about who the good guys are. He’s a Steven Speilberg of the down-trodden.
Try “Trainspotting”. Heroin addiction, squalid housing, tortured relationships, squandered futures – and yet it’s uplifting! Or “28 Days Later”. High zombie mode, without the camp – England is overrun by human who have been infected with a highly contagious mind-numbing violence inducing virus. And only a few have managed to avoid being bitten, including one poor chap who was in a coma for four weeks while everything else went down the tubes. Some of you are saying “Eeew, Zombies. No way.” I refer you to two paragraphs above. If you enjoyed Slumdog, you’ll like these two movies.
But let’s say you just can’t get past your aversion to seeing another downer about drugs (it’s actually quite funny and touching), or have a visceral distaste for anything zombie (the story is GRIPPING, and there’s not an ironic shot in the whole movie). Well, then, try “Millions”. Two British boys find a bundle of cash, and must spend it within days. This is a family film which parents will like as much or more than their kids.
But don’t watch “Sunshine.” It’s wretchedly muddled mash up of “2001 – A Space Odyssey” and “Armageddon/Deep Impact.”
Mr. Boyle knows how to paint a story with pictures, knows when to let his characters speak for themselves, and keep things moving forward with charm and grace. And if you want more slum-life seen from the eyes of a child, but with real grit and no happy ending, check out “City of God” – better than any other film I’ve mentioned so far (but not, alas, from Mr. Boyle.)