Review of The Kite Runner (2007) by Iain S — 10 Sep 2009

Ordinarily, a tale of childhood friends set mainly in 1970s Afghanistan would not have been my first choice for an evening's entertainment. A friend, however, recommended this film to me and I therefore settled down to watch it based purely on her good word. I'm glad I did. Although relatively inaccessible at first (a subtitled film about children set in an almost alien environment to Western eyes), the film slowly draws you into the heartbreaking events that colour the lives of two young boys - Amir, the son of a wealthy businessman, and Hassan, his servant.

The film is split into three acts. The first sees the close friendship between the boys develop through their mutual love of kite running, but this camaraderie is cruelly shattered by an ugly incident borne out of uncalled-for loyalty; leading to recrimination and guilt. Moving on five years, the second act sees Amir and his father flee to the USA after the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, where Amir finds success and falls in love. Despite his newfound happiness, he is plagued with guilt over what happened to his friend and his own cowardly actions. When an opportunity comes to redeem himself, the third act sees Amir return to modern-day Afghanistan under the Taliban regime where he hopes to put right his sins of the past.

Despite an impressively staged production, this episodic structure leads the film to be unbalanced. The first act is delightful, with young actor Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada proving a real find as Hassan, the dutiful servant who takes his loyalty towards his friend to truly heroic levels. The second and third acts, however, focus on Amir; a largely unsympathetic character who I felt fully deserved any torment caused by his cowardice. Even when he finally plucks up the courage to face his demons, I was left unmoved by his efforts, especially as it takes him until the final scene of the film to truly stand up for himself - that was far too late for me.

Director Marc Forster once again proves his versatility with a film that switches seemlessly between 1970s Afghanistan and contemporary America. Following excellent films such as Monster's Ball and Finding Neverland, Forster followed The Kite Runner with the Bond film Quantum of Solace for God's sake! The only false note for me was his depiction of present day Afghanistan. I admit that I know little about the realities of life under the Taliban, but the villains and their deeds seemed a little theatrical to me. I half expected Forster to anticipate his next film by presenting a one-eyed villain sat in a cave stroking a white cat!

Despite these criticisms, The Kite Runner is hugely enjoyable and kept me gripped throughout. The film's biggest flaw, however, is its emphasis on a one-note character with whom it is difficult to sympathise. That aside, The Kite Runner is an important film and you therefore owe it to yourself to pull a few strings and watch it soar!