Slumdog's One In A Million

Consider the following statement: The best film of the year is about an Indian man who goes on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire because he knows the girl he loves will be watching. That shouldn't be right, but it is.

Director Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire easily takes the title of Film of the Year, and possibly the last few years, due in part to its surprisingly fascinating narrative. With a deeply moving story, slick direction, and a brilliant performance by relatively unknown actor Dev Patel, there's an experience felt in the theater that's unprecedented.

Based upon Q & A, a novel by Indian Diplomat Vikas Swarup, Slumdog Millionaire has quite the multifaceted story. Jamal Malik (Patel) is a poor Indian man who is on the verge of winning 20 million rupees on India's incarnation of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Given that Jamal has come from nothing (a "slumdog"), he is suspected of cheating and is brought into the police precinct for questioning. He is then interrogated and forced to explain himself to the proper authorities, and account for each of the questions he got right the night before.

As Jamal ventures to explicate himself, the audience is shuttled back to certain instances in Jamal's life until we become enlightened as to where he acquired that specific nugget of information. As Jamal sheds some light on each answer, it becomes more and more apparent that the light is deeply ominous all the way up to the pumping third act. Without spoiling the ending, it's fair to say that you surely won't be disappointed.

The story is a dangerous one to tackle, and even though it's both powerful and expertly written, if handled incorrectly, Slumdog Millionaire could have become another cliche-ridden, message-heavy flick that's not worth the increasingly expensive ticket price. Enter Boyle. With the critical acclaim of Trainspotting and 28 Days Later preceding him, he somehow manages to outdo himself tenfold with Slumdog. The flashbacks to the Mumbai slums he uses exude a gritty yet genuine sentiment that borrows slightly from City of God in its near documentary feel. The actual Who Wants to Be a Millionaire sequences and the interrogation scenes provide a staggering contrast between the helter skelter streets of Mumbai by remaining much more static focused, which really drives home the lengths that Jamal has traversed.

Speaking of Jamal, Patel turns in an astounding performance as the film's protagonist, blending wit and sarcasm with the countenance of a survivor of great tragedy. Patel's genuine portrayal of Jamal is crucial to the film avoiding the "hokey" category, as his handling of the role makes him almost universally likeable.

Patel does not provide the only enjoyable performance, however. The entire cast from top to bottom is great (even the child actors playing the younger versions of the main characters), and it makes the incredibly powerful story seem oddly plausible.

There are very few negatives that can be said about this film. The overall story may be slightly predictable, but the ride that is experienced throughout makes it not only forgivable, but nearly unnoticeable. Slumdog Millionaire is so expertly executed throughout that even the credit sequence is more enjoyable than the entirety of You Don't Mess With the Zohan.

A cinematic triumph, Slumdog Millionaire is a must-see for anyone looking to get genuine enjoyment out of a film, because you certainly will. A strange sense of euphoria explodes from the theater as the credits roll, and it's something so rare in film that it would be a crime not to experience it.

Grade: A