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Slumdog Millionaire must be one of the most unlikely Oscar frontrunners in recent memory: it is a story about a kid from the slums of Mumbai who manages to reach the final question on India's version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? (where the jackpot is 20 million rupees), with a substantial amount of dialogue not in English and no actors who are widely known outside of the subcontinent. A film fitting that description would usually find it hard to even be released in the US, never mind be tipped as one of the year's major awards contenders. Indeed, Slumdog Millionaire was actually dropped by its original distributor, only to be rescued by Fox Searchlight, who have been rewarded with numerous film festival raves and just recently the Golden Globe for Best Drama. Ever the genre-hopper, Mancunian director Danny Boyle is the man who has brought this unexpected gem to such heights of acclaim, his camera capturing life in the Indian slums with undeniable verve and energy.
In truth, the TV quiz show angle is really just a framework - gimmick is too strong a word - around which to hang the main thrust of the plot. Contestant Jamal, played by newcomer Dev Patel, is suspected of cheating and is subjected to a brutal interrogation by the police, and it is this questioning that triggers the flashbacks that occupy most of the film's running time. These extended snapshots of Jamal's eventful young life, spanning the time from childhood to his present position, are where the film comes alive, and slowly reveal Jamal's true motivation. Boyle's work filming the less glamorous sides of Indian life (helped immensely, no doubt, by co-director Loveleen Tandan) recall the Brazilian masterpiece City of God, and just like that film, it features some startlingly good child performances. In fact, as the flashbacks progress and the characters grow up, they actually become slightly less interesting. That's mainly because they start so strongly, effortlessly mixing humour with tragedy. The unrelentingly frantic pace does become somewhat tiring after a while; there's no chance to get bored, but a little breather would be nice.
Regardless, these are minor issues with a film that is an absolute triumph of cinematic wish-fulfilment. As the (incident-packed) life of Jamal unfolds, it's impossible not to get sucked in emotionally. Gradually the film transforms into an unconventional love story, and only the most stony of hearts will not be willing the young couple together. Dev Patel, who is actually from Harrow in Greater London, holds the film together excellently with his understated turn, while the beautiful Frieda Pinto as the object of his affection lights up the frame in her limited screen time. If it all becomes a little melodramatically saccharine towards the end, with an improbable number of story strands converging in immaculate unison, it would be churlish to identify that as an element worthy of criticism. Slumdog Millionaire sets out to be a heart-warming fairytale, and succeeds brilliantly. Few films of recent times leave you with such a buzz when the credits roll.
The summary
Slumdog Millionaire may not quite reach the heights of all-time classic status, as many have been so quick to bestow upon it, but that's not to say it isn't a rip-roaring, memorable and moving yarn.
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