The Kite Runner (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
'The Kite Runner' is an epic saga; a tale of betrayal, cowardice and, oddly enough, atonement. After spending close to 20 yrs. in San Francisco, Amir (Khalid Abdalla) returns to Afghanistan to help find his old friend Hassan; it appears that his son is in trouble. By trying to find this man's son, he hopes to find forgiveness for choices he made when he & Hassan were young lads. However, the Afghanistan of 2000, now controlled by the Taliban, is quite different than the one he recalled from his childhood. Finding this boy could become a deadly rescue mission. Just like Marc Forster's own Finding Neverland, I found this movie to be good-ish ... definitely not bad, and definitely not exceptional. The production values are enticing. I just wish the screenplay was, as well.
Afghanistan, 1978: Young Amir (Zekeria Ebrahimi) & young Hassan (Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada) are inseparable friends. Amir is the son of a privileged landowner, Baba (Homayoun Ershadi), and Hassan is the son of the housekeeper to Amir's household. Baba shows concern to his friend Rahim (Shaun Toub) that his Amir is a boy who lacks a backbone to stand up for what's right. Hassan, on the other hand, though small in stature, would stand up to anyone who defies him for any reason; more importantly, he'd always stick up for his good friend, Amir. Life is free & easy for the kids; though, they're often picked on by older neighborhood thugs; they're probably jealous not to have such a strong bond with their 'own' friends. One day, after a high-flying 'kite runner' tournament (where kids try to slash other kids' kites by entangling their strings with the others'), a stringent act of violence is perpetrated on Hassan, and Amir fails to aid him!
Though he's guilt ridden, the guilt morphs into a kind of childlike anger towards Hassan (he doesn't know how to react otherwise) and as a result, Hassan & his father leave the premises for good. Years pass by; Amir & Baba move to America. And it is there where a smart, but quiet Amir meets the love of his life, Soraya (Atossa Leoni). She's the daughter of a former Afghani General; and their union pleases all parties involved. By the yr. 2000, Amir (who'd always loved to write fiction stories) gets his 1st novel published. The great news washes away when he receives a phone call imploring him to return to Afghanistan to help save Hassan's son (he'd never kept contact through the years) from imminent danger. The climax of the film involves Amir's reluctant, but life-affirming journey back home.
What's good about the film is that it's inherently heartfelt, though, never falls prey to sappy sentimentality. The emotions feel very real. The guilt & redemption (atonement) themes are handled very intelligently. The cinematography is competent, and the original score is memorable. And I'm glad to have witnessed a distinct time & place (Afghani culture & its' stark 1978/2000 differences). The performances of the Mahmizada (Hassan) & Ershadi (who played Baba) stand-out. Abdalla is fine as the older Amir; I found him very realistic; though, he lacks the energy to make his character linger with us. And it's hard for me feel for the spineless Amir when he inadvertently destroys one life, and wouldn't have done ANYTHING to fix the course of another one without the aforementioned pleading phone call.
Some of the film offers engaging melodrama, some of it just labors. And while I can't fault a film which admirably conveys a sense of hope, I can't find it in myself to sing praises, either. Good intentions don't always make for the best movie. Just like Finding Neverland (though, that film is better than this), I found 'Kite Runner' to be competent, pretty, yet bland & formulaic. I just wish there was 'more' to each scene, more 'behind' the pseudo-meaningful dialogue. Some of the nuances throughout the film worked, some just created tensionless, airless moments. I don't think any one character has more than 1 or 2 sentences to say in one breath throughout the entire picture. The film also relies heavily on coincidence to make an impact during the climax; but it did nothing but take me right out of the moment it was trying to 'move' me with. Like many films this fall, 'The Kite Runner' is too earnest & heavy for its' own good.
Afghanistan, 1978: Young Amir (Zekeria Ebrahimi) & young Hassan (Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada) are inseparable friends. Amir is the son of a privileged landowner, Baba (Homayoun Ershadi), and Hassan is the son of the housekeeper to Amir's household. Baba shows concern to his friend Rahim (Shaun Toub) that his Amir is a boy who lacks a backbone to stand up for what's right. Hassan, on the other hand, though small in stature, would stand up to anyone who defies him for any reason; more importantly, he'd always stick up for his good friend, Amir. Life is free & easy for the kids; though, they're often picked on by older neighborhood thugs; they're probably jealous not to have such a strong bond with their 'own' friends. One day, after a high-flying 'kite runner' tournament (where kids try to slash other kids' kites by entangling their strings with the others'), a stringent act of violence is perpetrated on Hassan, and Amir fails to aid him!
Though he's guilt ridden, the guilt morphs into a kind of childlike anger towards Hassan (he doesn't know how to react otherwise) and as a result, Hassan & his father leave the premises for good. Years pass by; Amir & Baba move to America. And it is there where a smart, but quiet Amir meets the love of his life, Soraya (Atossa Leoni). She's the daughter of a former Afghani General; and their union pleases all parties involved. By the yr. 2000, Amir (who'd always loved to write fiction stories) gets his 1st novel published. The great news washes away when he receives a phone call imploring him to return to Afghanistan to help save Hassan's son (he'd never kept contact through the years) from imminent danger. The climax of the film involves Amir's reluctant, but life-affirming journey back home.
What's good about the film is that it's inherently heartfelt, though, never falls prey to sappy sentimentality. The emotions feel very real. The guilt & redemption (atonement) themes are handled very intelligently. The cinematography is competent, and the original score is memorable. And I'm glad to have witnessed a distinct time & place (Afghani culture & its' stark 1978/2000 differences). The performances of the Mahmizada (Hassan) & Ershadi (who played Baba) stand-out. Abdalla is fine as the older Amir; I found him very realistic; though, he lacks the energy to make his character linger with us. And it's hard for me feel for the spineless Amir when he inadvertently destroys one life, and wouldn't have done ANYTHING to fix the course of another one without the aforementioned pleading phone call.
Some of the film offers engaging melodrama, some of it just labors. And while I can't fault a film which admirably conveys a sense of hope, I can't find it in myself to sing praises, either. Good intentions don't always make for the best movie. Just like Finding Neverland (though, that film is better than this), I found 'Kite Runner' to be competent, pretty, yet bland & formulaic. I just wish there was 'more' to each scene, more 'behind' the pseudo-meaningful dialogue. Some of the nuances throughout the film worked, some just created tensionless, airless moments. I don't think any one character has more than 1 or 2 sentences to say in one breath throughout the entire picture. The film also relies heavily on coincidence to make an impact during the climax; but it did nothing but take me right out of the moment it was trying to 'move' me with. Like many films this fall, 'The Kite Runner' is too earnest & heavy for its' own good.