Writer: David Benioff
Director: Marc Forster
Cast: Khalid Abdalla, Atossa Leoni, Shaun Toub, Sayed Jafar Masihullah Gharibzada
Rating: PG-13
Studio: Dreamworks
Release Date: March 25, 2008

Reviewing movies gives me a chance to see numerous previews. When I say numerous, I mean just about any that are available. I see the majority of previews for companies that I review for on a regular basis. This means that I see loads of Paramount trailers amongst other companies. So, for about a month prior to the release of The Kite Runner I watched its trailer on every single Paramount movie that came my way. That was a lot of movies. At first, I remarked at how interesting the trailer made the movie seem and how much I wanted to see it. At some point, that want turned into a need, probably because I couldn’t handle seeing the trailer anymore. I began to know all the words by heart and it was just too much for me.

This film was inspired by the novel of the same name, which was written by first time novelist Khaled Hosseini. The film follows the path of the book for the most part and offers a story that was good enough to be nominated for two Golden Globes and one Academy Award. That all being said, this movie has received much more than its fair share of praise. In fact, the child actors in this film were said to have feared for their lives. It has been said that Paramount actually helped the children and their guardians to relocate to ensure that they would be safe from harm. Meanwhile, this movie, which is set in Afghanistan, has been banned from being watched in the country because the powers that be there feel that certain scenes depict the country in a negative light.

Release Information:
Despite being set in Afghanistan, filming did not occur there due to the current hostile climate in the country. Instead, the film was shot primarily in Kashgar, China. The dialogue in the film is partially in Dari Persian, which means that the movie is a mix of subtitles and in other parts spoken English is available. While the filming wrapped up in December of 2006, the movie was not released for nearly one year to the day that shooting ended because of the concern for the younger boys in the film, whom the cast and crew believed could be in danger once the movie was released.

There were a lot of things in this film that caused it to be released to a hailstorm of critical reception by fellow critics. While some felt this was one of the best movies of the year, others were not so convinced. The critic following has been a mixed bag. The Kite Runner was released on March 25, 2008 on DVD by Paramount and Dreamworks Pictures. While this should be available for purchase at all major retailers, you can also pick this up online, at stores such as Amazon where it is available for S17.

The Kite Runner Plot
The Kite Runner offers the story of Amir and Hassan. The two boys live in Kabul and due to a number of factors their friendship is readily tested, until it is finally broken. Amir, who comes from a wealthy family, is ridiculed and tormented for having a best friend, Hassan, from a lower class. This friendship leads to enough trouble to cause a rape of one of the boys, by some town bullies, and eventually Amir (Zekeria Ebrahimi) turns on Hassan (Ahmad Kahn Mahmidzada). Years later, one friend will need to go and rescue the son of the other boy, to right the wrongs that he has committed against him.

While the boys are children we learn that Amir is the son of Baba (Homayoun Ershadi). His best friend is the son of his father’s servant. Hassan is Amir’s kite runner. This means that he is the boy that chases the kite when the kite’s string is cut by another kite. Hassan is excellent at this because he always seems to know where the kite will land. One day, Hassan is sent after a losing kite, despite the fact that it’s not Amir’s, and when he finds it, a group of punks try to get the kite from him. When he refuses to hand over the kite he is physically assaulted, in the worst way possible. Amir sees the assault and rather than helping his friend he turns against him, taking on a negative view of his once best friend.

At some point, Hassan and his father are no longer considered Baba’s servants. Around this time, Russia invades Afghanistan, which leads to Taliban rule. Amir and his father flee to America. As the movie flashes forward, we learn that Amir (now played by Khalid Abdalla) is a published author. His novel has just been published and he receives a call from an old family friend, Rahim Khan (Shaun Toub) that will change his life forever.

Amir heads to Pakistan to visit his friend who he thinks is sick. However, Rahim soon explains that he had Amir come for another, more important reason. Amir learns that the Taliban is responsible for murdering Hassan and his wife. Hassan’s son is still out there, and Rahim wants Amir to get into Afghanistan so that he can get Hassan’s son out of there. After Amir learns a secret about his relationship with Hassan that could directly impact his feelings for his murdered childhood friend, he has to find a way to help this child before the ultimate form of harm comes to him.

In the beginning, it is sad to see that Amir turns his back on his friend, betraying him as if it were his fault that he was raped. It is even more upsetting to understand that Amir acts this way because he is ashamed of himself for being a coward and not helping his friend. I guess by turning into a bully himself, he is able to put the thoughts of how he should of helped his friend, out of his mind. Once Hussan dies, it is time for Amir to step up and be the man he wishes he always had been and finally help his true friend. He is forced to head into Taliban-infested Afghanistan to save the son of Hussan from an uncertain fate.

The changes in the countryside are vast thanks to this new, oppressive rule. Things seem to have wasted away. On a darker note, one of the rapists has become a Taliban official. The Kite Runner shows the oppressive hurt that war often causes and the power of redemption, especially in the most dire of consequences. It’s also worth mentioning that the kids did a great job on this film. The acting was all pretty good, but the young actors certainly helped this film be what it was.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
The Kite Runner offers a video presentation that is available in anamorphic widescreen with additional enhancements and an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The film looked good. There were not any visible defects or compression problems worth noting. While I was not visually blown away, the quality here was quite good and definitely worth watching.

The sound for The Kite Runner was available in Dolby Digital 5.1. There were tracks available in English, Spanish, and French. Additionally, subtitles are available in all three languages. It is important to note that while the trailer is available in English, the majority of the movie is shown in subtitles. I did not have a problem with this, but if you are not a fan of subtitles you probably will not like this movie as the moments of English are few and far between. The audio does a good job of being passable here with a decent level control and no need for volume toggling.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
There are a few special features that are located on the disc with The Kite Runner. These features include a public service announcement that is playable before and after the movie, commentary by the director, screenwriter, and author of the novel, some Dreamworks trailers, the theatrical trailer, and two featurettes that last coming in at close to 40 minutes.

The featurettes include “Words from The Kite Runner“, which delves into the book and “Images from The Kite Runner“, which looks at the film. Both featurettes should be well received if you liked the movie. They both offer a good deal of information and add to the initial story that you have just watched, as any good special feature should.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
The Kite Runner is a strong movie with a good story. At times, it can be hard to watch, but no one likes to see a child suffer. That being said, this story of redemption is incredibly powerful. The film shows the struggles of war, the bonds of friendship, and the wide range of emotions and abuse we put ourselves through when we let down someone we care about. If you don’t mind movies with subtitles, The Kite Runner is not to be missed. If you are not fond of them, try renting this anyway. The story might be good enough for you to overlook the subtitles.

Overall Rating:

Technorati Tags: Movie, DVD Review, The Kite Runner, War, Friendship, Coming of Age, Writer, Story

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!