Cinema Verdict Review: Kites

Kites

OPENING: 05/21/2010

STUDIO: Reliance

RUN TIME: 130 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
Sometimes love doesn’t conquer all.

Opening Statement
I admit, freely and openly, my complete and total ignorance with regards to the India film industry and the powerhouse dream factory that is Bollywood. Part of what drew me to Kites in the first place was that very gap in my cinematic experience. But what I discovered was not typical Bollywood. This is an exciting new art form unto itself. To say I was blown away by Anurag Basu’s latest film would be an understatement of epic proportions. In all sincerity, I have not had a movie-going experience like this since I was a kid, hopped up on sugar, drinking in every minute of the latest James Bond film. We’re talking character driven dramatic tension, pulse pounding action, stunning visuals, brilliant performances, and a musical score that will haunt your dreams. Passing up an opportunity to see Kites would be a colossal mistake.

Facts of the Case
J (Hrithik Roshan) is a street-wise charmer with expensive tastes, working every angle of the Vegas strip, in hopes of snagging a ticket to the big time. He’s a quick change artist, dance instructor, and green card husband for hire (with 10 wives and counting). All three careers earn him just enough to get by, but a strange twist of fate with two separate women — a dance student (Kangana Ranaut) and an illegal immigrant (Barbara Mori) — will make this rising star go super nova before he can truly enjoy the fruits of his good fortune. The truth is you can fake love for money, but all the money in the world can’t guarantee true love will last.

The Evidence
Let me start by saying this review focuses on the original release of Kites, not the Kites: The Remix that Brett Ratner has put his stamp on. True, the remix is in English and Spanish, where the original floats between Hindi, English, and Spanish; using subtitles when needed. However, the remix also 40 min shorter than the original, cuts out of the first act dance sequence (a key part of the plot), juices the action and the sex appeal (neither of which need any enhancement), and replaces one of the best musical scores I’ve heard in years. The choice is yours. Either way, you’re in for one hell of a ride.

To speak too much of the story would ruin the experience, so I’ll use vague generalities. This is a Bollywood Shakespearean tragedy; featuring Indian, Latin, and American actors; set in the American Southwest (Las Vegas and Mexico); employing Tarantino-esque non-linear storytelling; and nailing every facet of the tale. A short film by Bollywood standards (two hours instead of the usual four or more), Kites packs in more thrills and gut-wrenching emotion than back-to-back showings of any two Hollywood summer tent pole pictures. Every genre imaginable — from Scorseseian revenge tales and Almodovarian relationship dramas, to Yakuza-noir and Hillbilly screwball comedy — is mashed up into these 130 minutes and not one second of it fails us.

What’s more, there is something in this picture for every taste. Kites features two of the most beautiful human beings ever created (Barbara Mori and Hrithik Roshan), who are not just eye candy but damn fine actors. There are action set pieces to floor the guys, heart melting romance for the ladies, hot dance moves for the teens, and genius storytelling for lovers of foreign film. Bear in mind, you will have to suspend a certain amount of disbelief, in much the same way we did for Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The action is stylized and may not always make logical sense, but once you commit to the ride, the payoff is well worth the investment.

Closing Statement
Just writing about it makes me want to see the film again. Writer/producer Rakesh Roshan and writer/director Anurag Basu have thrown down the gauntlet to filmmakers worldwide. Kites is an event picture. If you love movies, you must seek this out. That is your mission. Should you choose to accept it, realize that you may never view Hollywood films the same way again.

The Verdict
9/10

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