Movie Review: The Kite Runner

I hadn't read the book but enjoyed The Kite Runner. It's apparently pretty faithful, though some of the end is missing. Of course the book is better.

I'd rather not describe the plot in much detail. It follows the story of Amir showing him first in the US as an adult and then flashing back to his childhood in Afghanistan. He had a best friend, Hassan, and they liked kite flying together. Amir was a wimpy child and had to live with some of his acts of cowardice and the disappointment of his father. When the Russians invade, he and his father flee the country, first to Pakistan and then to America. Amir ends up traveling back to Afghanistan under Taliban rule.

it's pretty straight ahead storytelling. There wasn't much suspense or doubt as to what would happen but I was engaged throughout the film. A friend complained of some of the coincidences at the end of the film but they didn't bother me. What they show of life under the Taliban has been written about a lot, so seeing burqas, soldiers, poverty and a stoning wasn't as shocking as it might have been years ago. The reviews are mixed because it doesn't really delve into Amir's psyche and I agree with that. He's emotionally shut down for most of the film, until the inevitable conclusion.

The filmmaking is all fine. The chinese locations do well standing in for Afghanistan but then again, all I know is from the news and the film Kandahar. The acting is also fine, though not much stands out. The cast is mostly unknowns, though I should have recognized Shaun Toub from many different roles.

It's a good story, but the film will be forgettable. I'll have to add the book to my list.