DVD reviews - May 31: Slumdog Millionaire; The Wrestler

May 31 2009

Slumdog Millionaire ***** (15)

If you haven't yet seen this modern masterpiece, I'm not quite sure where you live - perhaps in some rural bolthole with no electricity in the wilderness of Romania or somewhere. Anyway, if such a person exists, then they need to get their hands on this DVD sharpish.

Danny Boyle's tale of a young Bombay lad Jamal (Dev Patel) appearing on India's version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? is everything the massive hype suggested it would be - and then some. The trailers were very misleading - they seemed to suggest it was a slushy romance movie with Bollywood dancing and stuff - and that put me off completely until I was dragged along to see it very reluctantly and was completely converted.

The dance sequence comes over the end credits and is very tongue-in-cheek - so you're not in for some colourful Bollywood musical.

Instead it's a gritty, incredibly dark and powerful drama which will enthrall you from start to finish.

Through flashbacks related to each question young contestant Jamal is asked, we see his life as a slumdog growing up in the disgusting shanty towns of Bombay with his brother and the girl he falls for at an early age, Latika (Freida Pinto).

The film begins with Jamal being accused of cheating after winning the top prize on the TV show and being tortured and interrogated by police. The backstory is filled in as he recounts to cops the reasons why he knew each answer.

The stunningly clever script sees pieces drop into place perfectly and the young cast are superb - Pinto in particular is destined to be a huge star.

The movie richly deserves every plaudit and award it reaped and is a must-buy for anyone with a vague interest in films. Mickey McMonagle

THE WRESTLER **** (15)

Mickey Rourke's career-best performance comes, ironically enough, in a drama about a once-legendary wrestler who has fallen on hard times and is desperate to recapture his former glories. Sounds familiar, eh Mickey? His star turn as Randy '

The Ram' Robinson - now competing in over- the- top, hugely- violent bouts that pay him peanuts - is a powerhouse performance. As Randy gradually accepts that his body simply can no longer cope with the demands put on it, he must figure out a way to put his one-time career behind him once and for all.

Depressing at times, but well worth seeing. MM