Mumbai, a frenetic metropolis and home to 14 or 15 million inhabitants, certainly boasts its share of glitz and glitter. It is the entertainment and commercial capital of India. It is home to Bollywood. But flip that coin over and you'll find the less glamourous side, that Mumbai also happens to be the site of some pretty deplorable living conditions. The poverty and squalor - and the quality of life attached to that - are horrific. And I guess it makes the ideal backdrop for SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, a film of seemingly relentless bleakness but a film which ultimately champions hope, love, destiny, and the tenacity of the human spirit.

The plot is this: Improbably, Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), an uneducated young chai wallah (tea server) from the slums of Mumbai, is one correct answer away from winning it all on the Indian version of the game show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? But time runs out for that evening's episode and the flabbergasted audience must wait one more evening to see if Jamal can win the big prize. But Jamal is arrested and tortured, on the suspicion of cheating. Because how can a mere slumdog advance so far in the quiz show when even scholars before him have all failed ignominiously?

The conceit of the movie lies in that each of Jamal's responses to the game show questions ties into a significant moment in his past. As Jamal reluctantly explains to the Mumbai police, the film flashes back to his painful childhood in the Mumbai slums. In the past, we meet his older brother Salim, a bully and avaricious and who soon becomes jealous of Jamal's close friendship with the young orphaned girl Latika. We see these three endure tragic life-changing experiences, as Jamal, Salim, and Latika claw out an existence by begging, stealing, and hustling naive tourists. Down the years, the three separate and reunite several times. Yet one thing never changes. Jamal keeps faith, believing that he and Latika are destined to be together. And that is the heart of the film.

Based on Vikas Swarup's novel [[ASIN:0743267486 Q & A: A Novel]], SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE is graced with dazzling technical mastery. Danny Boyle directs it and makes the thing accessible for western eyes. And, yet, the film does still feature a few of the core elements so favored by Indian cinema. Most notable is the gulf between classes, with the lead character so lowborn that when he achieves something seemingly beyond his capability, his integrity is promptly doubted and he is brutalized. Also regard the sweeping, star-crossed romance, that theme of love surmounting all odds, most definitely a staple of Bollywood's. And, while SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE is by no means a musical, Danny Boyle couldn't resist putting in an exuberant dance number "Jai Ho," staged during the closing credits.

The story is solid, the hook is good. The film looks visually charged. It's sharply edited, with awesome cinematography, with the cameras capturing the bustle and energy and vibrancy of Mumbai, whether the focus is on the slums or on the city's rapid phases of globalization. The pulsating soundtrack contributes to the emotional texture of the thing (although I laughed when "Aaj Ki Raat" from DON came out, since I just saw DON again very recently). The actors are marvelous, with Dev Patel strong as the central character. The film covers three stages in Jamal's life, when he was roughly 7, 13, and 18. The children who play Jamal, Salim, and Latika are terrific, particularly Ayush Mahesh Khedekar and Rubina Ali, who are very moving as Jamal and Latika at seven years of age. There is one moment which crystallizes Jamal's personality to the audience and young Ayush pulls it off perfectly, this being the outhouse scene and what Jamal goes thru to nab an autograph from his Bollywood idol Amitabh Bachchan. Really, from that point on, you're totally on this kid's side. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE is essentially a flashback film, with the game show sequences used as a framing device. And, ultimately, it's the honest performances of the children which hooks you in. Fair warning, there are some very disturbing scenes played out during these kids' time on screen.

Two other actors make an impact. One is veteran Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor and his trademark mustache. He plays the smug game show host, himself born out of the slums and who doesn't want Jamal to win the game and upstage him. Meanwhile, Freida Pinto makes an auspicious debut as the present-day Latika. She doesn't really have a lot of scenes or a lot of lines, compared to Dev Patel, but she makes them count. Freida Pinto is stunning. She has a presence and flashes such an utterly winning smile that the film flashes back to it several times. With her as Latika, I get how Jamal just never wavers in his efforts to reunite with her. Although, to be fair, Jamal fell in love with Latika before she grew up to look like Freida Pinto.

What I have is the single disc version, with the following special features: the Making of the Film featurette (23 minutes long); 12 deleted scenes, all worth watching and key to filling in several gaps in the film - definitely check out "The Folder," which reveals why the Police Inspector dealt with Jamal in the way he did; two audio commentaries, one with Director Danny Byole & actor Dev Patel, the other with producer Christian Colson & screenplay writer Simon Beaufoy; and the "Slumdog Cutdown" segment, which basically is a series of scenes from the film serving as a synopsis and set to the exhilarating song "Jai Ho."

As someone who's watched Indian cinema for a few years now, I'm so happy this film came out and I hope that it'll whet the appetites of more westerners, intrigue them enough so that they dip their toe into Bollywood films or Tamil films or Telugu. But if you're not sure yet and you're looking for a more accessible intro to Indian cinema, you should probably check out frothier films like [[ASIN:B00094AS9U Bride and Prejudice]] and [[ASIN:B001RP974C Other End of the Line (Widescreen)]]. Word to the wise, the Indian film industries tend to produce films which lean towards the more colorful, exuberant, and unabashedly over-the-top and sentimental, so prep yourself if you want to indulge in the real thing. I also recommend [[ASIN:B00078JZ74 Swades]], an awesome film which attempts to make a telling statement about the state of poverty and the lack of education in India. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE ended up winning a busload of Oscar awards, and justifiably so. In this film's depiction of the state of things with the poorer masses, I quote from a slumdog in the film as he is about to get trounced by the Indian constabulary in front of American tourists: "You wanted to see a bit of the real India - here it is!" SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE shows not all, but only a bit of the real India. Still, it's become one of those films which should linger in the brain for some bit of time.

Impeccably written and directed. The actors from all age groups fit their respective roles very well and none of the acting felt forced. The suspense was also well built towards the end of the movie leading up to Jamal's last question. I found the ending to be very poetic for all characters, especially Salim. This movie is 100% worth every minute of your time and worth every penny. This should be watched by anyone who hasn't yet seen it as it's not just a movie - it's an experience.

At its heart Slumdog Millionaire is a beautiful love story. Jamal and Freida met when they were very little but were almost immediately separated. Jamal could never forget her though and spent the rest of his life looking for her. That would take him through conflicts and fights with his brother, running into not one, but two gangsters, and eventually the police, and yet he wouldn’t give up. He was so determined he wouldn’t let anything get in his way.

At the same time, in the background the movie is also about the development of Mumbai. Originally it was called Bombay. Jamal and his brother Salim grew up in a slum in the city. They were Muslims and early on their mother was murdered in an anti-Muslim riot there. They went on a journey across the country and when they returned Bombay had turned into Mumbai which had become one of the fastest growing and richest cities in the nation.

The story was relayed in a unique way. It was told through a series of flashbacks. That became popular with Pulp Fiction, but what was added was that the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? was how the history of Jamal and Freida was portrayed. He got on the show because he knew Freida watched it. He was then accused of cheating and taken in by the police. The inspector played by the late Irrfan Khan goes through each one of the questions he answered on the show. He explains how he knew the answer because of an event in his life and that leads to the flashbacks. For instance, he was asked what American figure was on a $100 bill. He knew that because while he was looking for Freida he ran into an old friend who gave him a $100 and named Benjamin Franklin as the person’s face on the currency.

The movie has plenty or tragedy and comedy mixed in to make it enduring. For instance, when Jamal and Salim were young a movie star came to their slum. Salim, who was always mean to his little brother locked him in an outhouse as he went to see the star. Salim was so determined to see him he jumped through the poo hole into a huge pile of excrement and ran off to see the celebrity as well.

The movie is truly unique and memorable and should be seen by all.
C

The images in this film will remain with you for life. It is an amazing story and very original in it's portrayal. This film shows two brothers who grew up in the same exact circumstances, but one takes the path of material wealth while the other is more interested in the spiritual wealth of love. I did however have some issues with the script. Some spoilers: Mainly with the character of Salim, Jamal's older brother. His portrayal seemed to be lacking in the film and at times a bit confusing. We see from the start that he is a torn individual. On the one hand he loves his brother very much, but on the other hand he is a hot head and a bully who wants to control those around him making him a conflicted and rich character. However it's hard to understand why Jamil continues to trust him throughout the film even after he rapes Latika and even after he kidnaps Latika at the train station. It gets even more confusing when Latika seems to care about Salim when he tries to reunite her with Jamal at the end, worried that his boss will kill him. The movie doesn't explain at all why these characters continue to place their hearts with Salim after everything he's already done to them. And the only indication we get from the film that Salim has doubts about his behavior is a couple of lines where he prays to allah that he knows he has sinned and where he says "I know" after Jamal says he'll never forgive him... but this happens also before he kidnaps Latika from the train station and scars her face for life. I think Salim's character would've had more impact if we were able to truly see his moral struggle which was difficult to detect. After all this is a man who was grappling so much with his guilt that he chose to kill himself in a tub of all the dirty money he helped aquire over the years. We should've seen the signs of this immense struggle that led him to do this and I don't feel that we really did. Another problem is the issue with Salim's cell phone. He gives Latika his cell phone obviously because he feels Jamal will call him for some reason. How could he be so sure that Jamal would call him after everything he had done? Then at the end Jamal does not know how to reach Latika so he waits for her at the train station hoping she'll show up. But wait- Doesn't she have Salim's phone? So why doesn't Jamal just call her up instead? These issues were what kept me from giving this amazing story 5 stars. Still, the movie is unforgettable and will leave a permanent imprint in your mind.

An unimaginable RollerCoaster ride from the squalor of a Mumbai slum to a completely believable realization of the most profound longing of all of us.
Being an old gringo who has never had personal contact with Hindi folks or visited India, I got connected via Bollywood. I am a high end home audio professional and my first attraction, besides the stunning actresses, was the really artful make use of surround sound and the engaging musical arrangements. That said, I first chased my way through the make believe world of the musical romantic comedies. Searching for more, I ran into some of the real gritty and honest views of life in India. They can leave you emotionally drained with the full complement of guilt, sympathy and a profound respect for the strength of the Human spirit.
This film is an amazing example of demonstrating the best and worst of what we can be. Nothing is held back. Against the vivd images of life in the squalor and horror of life in almost unlivable conditions, we are graphically shown the very best and worst of what we can be. We are reminded of the seemingly limitless optimism of children.
You will find it very hard to avoid becoming completely immersed emotionally in this film. As gritty and horrifying as it becomes, the depth of character and spirit of selfless devotion will overshadow everything else.
Just reviewing my emotional extremes as I took this ride, I am still amazed. When I watched it the fourth or fifth time I started looking for flaws in the characters and progress of the action or even the ending. A movie about making enough money to take you to a living Disneyland is never about the money or the Disneyland dream life that it would buy. That is just the common denominator carrot that draws you into the so much bigger story of a child's dreams and if you get a chance to step back from the torrent of emotion that you are assailed with, you get to see how dangerous the money and what it brings with it are. I guess I never really sat down and analyzed just how much this movie had to say or how much insight is revealed. Just stunning.

Slumdog Millionaire has been criticized by some reviewers as being unbelievable, but I've always believed in the ability of movies to help people escape for that hour and a half or two hours. The story revolves around an impoverished and uneducated Indian man who is one question away from winning the Indian equivalent of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. First he is captured by police forces who simply cannot believe that this impoverished man is one question away from winning the ultimate prize. This leads the viewer on a back-tracking whirlwind through the life of this man through his childhood, the formation of the three Musketeers with his childhood friend Salim and his eventual love interest. Jamal and Salim eventual take off, leaving Latika to become an exotic dancer known as Cherry until the two friends retain to rescue their Third Musketeer.

Eventually Salim turns on Jamal to become a hired gunmen for an Indian muscle-man ejecting Jamal from his life and separating him from Latika once again. The style of this movie is a bit bothersome for me because it comes across as an our and half period of flashback ended with a half an hour of present time period action. There had to have been a better way to do it than just stuff that felt like constant flashback. Still I can't complain about the cinematography because they made India look at once bright, beautiful, and hopeful through colors, but yet dangerous through the blacks, whites, and grays of thug life and things lost. At the end, the viewer is confronted with the classic message that there are some things more important than money.

This movie is absorbing from beginning to end…and even the credits at the end are entertaining. Great writing, vivid cinematography, great action, talented actors, and authentic backgrounds…no cgi crap. It took great effort to produce this excellent movie and it deserves every award it won. We don’t purchase many movies, but this is definitely a keeper. A must-see for certain.

Every American should watch this movie when they are old enough. I've seen poverty in Jamaica, Mexico, and Ethiopia. If you have never seen poverty, this is a REAL look at how most of the Earth's population lives. When we went to Ethiopia to pick up our adopted children, we were told that children were purposefully mutilated to help them be more efficient at begging, well, this movie goes there. Would you give money to those kids? If you do, you feed them. If you do, you feed the system that promotes destroying children. Tough call isn't it? ... What about the movie? It is a great plotline/story written at the high point of WWtbaMillionaire phenomenon around the world. From the depths of human filth and abuse, comes the story of three kids and how they overcome in the most unlikely way. I don't know if any other 'underdog' movie comes close, or should I say 'slumdog' movie? I bought the DVD to show to the World Religions class that I teach in a Lutheran high school. The kids are getting an education. I fast-forward through the scenes I know are too rough to show in school, but I can't show them a better movie to help them understand the Caste System, up close and personal.