Slumdog Millionaire

A technical masterpiece of high-speed editing and integrated music, Best Picture Oscar winner Slumdog Millionaire tells the story of Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), an orphan whose wretched life takes a sharp turn when he appears on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Unfortunately, that turn leads to a tiny cell where he’s interrogated by police officers who follow a Rumsfeldian approach to information-gathering. From there, a rags-to-dirtier-rags story unfolds wherein, coincidentally, the answer to each question on the quiz show plays an integral part in Jamal’s life. It’s a clever idea, and it’d be well-executed if director Danny Boyle hadn’t fallen back on the characterless female-in-danger as the motivating factor for his richly developed protagonist. On the plus side, Anil Kapoor is sliminess incarnate as the game-show host; the digital cinematography is rich and varied; and the music, by M.I.A. and A.R. Rahman, creates a ripping and hook-filled atmosphere for the chases and intrigues that mark Jamal’s outlaw life.