I always liked Danny Boyle, but with Slumdog Millionaire I need to make it official. He is in my mind one of the best directors out there right now. I mean just look at his record. Trainspotting, Shallow Grave, 28 Days Later, Millions, Sunshine, and now Slumdog. When your weakest film is The Beach and you've got that many winners, you've done something right.
For one thing, look at his range. Heroine addicts, zombies, kids and coming of age, a mystery on a spaceship, a romance revolving around a victory in Indian Who Wants to be a Millionaire. All completely different stories, and all brilliantly told.
I think the key here is that he chooses projects with small stories inside big stories. The kid in Slumdog becomes the hope of a nation, but it was always just about the girl. Zombies take over London and the end of humanity may be near, but one guy just wants to get to safety and maybe bang this chick he's hanging out with. The crew of a spaceship needs to get to the sun to save the planet, but first each one needs to conquer his or her fear of death. Small stories, big consequences.
Danny Boyle also wastes no time. One early scene in Slumdog shows a bunch of kids running through the ghetto to escape some bad men. As they run we see where they live in little glimpses. The kids do things to show personality - throwing rocks at the men who chase them and at one point stopping to mock the man right behind them. So we see the world, learn who they are as people, and at one point briefly encounter a character we see again much later and in a much more important setting. So in that one little run through the neighborhood the entire world is established, but in an entertaining way.
The story itself is about love and righteousness and greed and self sacrifice and honesty. It all falls together in what is simply a beautiful film. And what a creative way to tell a story. I think I want to read the book now.
At this point I think I'll just go see any movie Danny Boyle makes even if it's a movie about tranny mob hitmen who want to become Playboy models. He could make that work.
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