Slumdog Millionaire, the hugely acclaimed 2008 British-made Mumbai-set drama from 28 Years Later and Trainspotting director Danny Boyle, has landed itself a new streaming home in the UK.
The film follows a young man named Jamal who becomes a contestant on the Hindi version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and does incredibly well, despite his age and tough upbringing.
As he is interrogated by police, who accuse him of cheating, flashbacks show that the answers tie back to events in his life, including the highs and the extreme lows.
Dev Patel, fresh from Skins, plays Jamal in his major international breakthrough role. Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ Freida Pinto and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol’s Anil Kapoor also star.
The film is currently available on BBC iPlayer, although only for the next 29 days.
20th Century Studios
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When it was released, Slumdog Millionaire was a major success. It won Best Picture and Best Director at the Oscars and Best Film at the BAFTAs, among a host of other wins and nominations.
On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a very impressive 92% positive score from 286 critic reviews.
Reel Talk called it “a unique and memorable film – one that’s practically impossible to resist,” while Digital Spy’s own review dubbed the film a “tense and engaging masterpiece” that’s an “emotionally and visually powerful treat”.
20th Century Studios
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“It’s got punch and narrative pizzazz: a strong, clear, instantly graspable storyline that doesn’t encumber itself with character complexity, and the cinematography by Anthony Dod Mantle is tremendous,” wrote The Guardian. “It’s definitely got that quirky-underdog twinkle and the silverware glint of awards can’t be far away.”
“This is a breathless, exciting story, heartbreaking and exhilarating at the same time,” legendary critic Roger Ebert said, while The Independent called the film “exhilarating ride” and “a feel-good yarn”.
Slumdog Millionaire is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he’s covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I’m a Fish.