The Kite Runner [DVD] (2007)

Great movie reflecting the psychopathy of Soviet Union, and Taliban.

This movie does feed on stereotypes (like many movies) but I found its plus sides overweight considerably the few clichees that some people have picked on. It is first of all a wonderful epic that kept me heart and soul glued to the screen for its 2 hours duration. The acting is great, but the performances of all the young actors are amazing, I think they are the heart and soul of the movie. They really set the tone of the story. Another good bit is that this movie is an introduction to Afghanistan to many Westerners. It has been for me , at least. My knowledge and interest in Afghanistan had been zilch, apart from what my mind cared to remember from catastrophic news flashes on news channels in the UK. THis movie/and book has sparked at least my curiousity to find out more about what's going on in Afghanistan. SO I have read Jason Elliot's 'An unexpected light - travels in Afghanistan', Rory Steward's 'Theplaces in between', and Eric Newby's ' A short walk in the HIndu Kush'.They are well written and recognised travel books on Afghanistan. I highly reccomend them to anyone who cares to find out a tid bit more about that country. The Kite Runner is a beautiful movie.

I loved this film, I read the book and I read the authors other book too. The book obviously adds more weight to the story, puts a bit more meat on the bones. The film obviously has to condense the story down. If you see the film after the book, you might be a little disappointed due to chunks being missed out or not explained fully but the film was wonderfully performed with great acting from the young Amir to the adult and you are able to follow the film through the subtitles without any thought. I thought the actually kite running scene a bit too over dramatised for my liking. It was obviously CGI effects & to me was a distraction to the story. I watched the film after I read the book and much preferred the book, but appreciated the beauty of the film which was well made. The film was on BBC 2 at the beg of the year but I missed most of it hence I got the dvd & was well worth the effort.

`The Kite Runner' is a moving film of two halves. The first half follows two boys (Amir and Hassan) who grew up in Kabul and the betrayal of one against the other, not because he is inherently bad but because he is cowardly and then ashamed of his fear. It then looks at what happens in the intervening years and concludes with how one manages to redeem himself and bring some peace to himself and his family. It is beautifully directed and the acting is very accomplished from all involved. Some scenes in modern Afghanistan are quite upsetting and at other times I found myself getting choked up at the events and emotions being portrayed on screen. This is needless to say a very rich and stirring film. Having not read the book I came to this with no preconceptions and I have to say it exceeded my expectations. It managed to keep me engrossed for the two hours running time and also made me emotionally engage with the story way more than I anticipated. This isn't a light and breezy film by any stretch of the imagination, but it is extremely well made and full of impact. Well worth a look at some point.Feel free to check out my blog which can be found on my profile page.

excellent.

A slow show. Have a feeling the book by the same name was better - sadly not for me.

Wow!! What a film!!!After reading the book and finding out it was to be turned into a movie, I had my doubts, but five minutes into the film and I was mesmorised.This film was truly brillant, many small minded people will be put off by a certain scene in the film but for those who understand the film then they will realise it is a key part of the film. It provoked so many emotions! Anger at the country although we dont live there, Sadness, Happiness, It was all there, a truly brillaint film, no faults whatsoever, and I was blown away! Well done!!!

There are plenty of detailed reviews so I will only say that this is one of the few films that I felt actually lives up to the book. No film can ever be anywhere near as good as the book it is taken from as so many details have to be left out but once you accept that then you can relax and enjoy. This one kept me riveted to the end. My mother, who watched the film, without having read the book, was also glued to the TV. Not for the younger viewers despite the 12 rating as it is quite harrowing at times.