The Kite Runner (2007)

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  May 5, 2012

  fb701560354

  The performances make this film, so the actors needed to be right on point, or this film wouldn't have been nearly as good as it is. Marc Forster and David Benioff have made a faithful adaption from the book, leaving out parts only necessary to the central story. The acting on ... read moredisplay here is immensely powerful, as is the whole film. I was very pleased with the transition from book to screen, but the magic in the book was lost. It's not completely vanished, but it's not as prominent as it should be. The Kite Runner is a powerful, riveting, emotional film that is a faithful adaptation from the excellent novel.

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  March 14, 2012

  ironclad1609

  This drama adopting a critically acclaimed novel tells the story of two boys growing up in the 1970s in Afghanistan and a tragic event that changes their friendship forever. Years later, one of them has to return to his crisis-ridden home country to find peace of mind. The film s... read moretarts out pretty compelling, the story of the friendship finds an early highlight in a wonderfully filmed kite competition, portraying a realistic and respectful every day Afghan life before the Russian invasion. Once tragedy separates the two the film remains interesting but sticks to rather common paths: our protagonist leaves the country, gets married, loses his father. For some odd reason, even his return to a country that would consider him an enemy now never gets very exciting, not even in the eye of danger. Things always go oddly smoothly and while the story does touch you on a superficial emotional level, it never reaches deeper somehow. All that's well filmed, acted and results in a very entertaining film, though.

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  January 14, 2012

  MovieGeek13

  Three word review: Read. The. Book.
  Longer review: Marc Forster respects Khaled Hosseini's brilliant debut novel, but something does get lost in the adaptation process. The Kite Runner is one of the best books I've ever read, but the film version, while very faithful, acts like a... read more Coles Notes for those with really short attention spans, or a "Disneyfication" of the source material. Several plot points are simplified to move the story forward so that it can cover as much ground as its 2 hour running time will allow. This quick, rushed pacing causes a lot of scenes that had more emotional weight in the novel to lose their impact. In a nutshell, The Kite Runner spans several decades and sees the two main characters as both children and adults. One of the kids, Amir, begins to grow jealous of his friend, Hassan, although why he feels this way is never fully explored in the film - the novel was much more clear.
  Furthermore, the script by David Benioff doesn't fully grasp the conflict that is erupting throughout Afghanistan. Hosseini's novel speaks of the events through a naive narrator. In other words, Hosseini writes about the conflict but he does it through the perspective of the child; the child doesn't understand what he's seeing, but the readers do. While such a device works for the book, the film version never goes into any detail to explain the conflict between the two different tribes of Afghans and how that sparked much of the upheaval in the decades to come.
  Where the film stumbles into cheese-ball territory is in the kite flying sequences. Blending close up tracking shots with CGI kites, these sequences are not only out of place, they subvert whatever symbolic meaning the kites had to the story. Where Hosseini was very poetic in describing Amir and Hassan flying their kites, Forster opts for a heavy handed, sentimental approach, which will either cause unintentional laughter or annoyed "alright, we get it" groans.
  Nevertheless, I believe audiences who never read the book will still find this movie to be quite engaging. Judged as a film on its own terms, Marc Forster's Kite Runner isn't a bad movie. The actors are good, the music and the on-location mise-en-scene contribute to a very authentic experience. Much of Hosseini's story still successfully translates to the screen, and the final fifteen minutes are sure to make a few audience members shed tears. Unfortunately, this is a pale adaptation of a masterwork. Fans of the book will surely be disappointed. But if you're new to this story, the film is good enough to entertain you and hopefully inspire you to pick up the book.

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  June 28, 2010

  SirPant

  I think I would have probably enjoyed this film more had I not read the book first. Although it is a good film, well directed and mostly well acted, it had none of the tension nor tenderness of the book. I would urge you to read the novel first, and then watch the film.

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  January 16, 2010

  aliceinpunderland

  It's rare for an unconditional friendship to not be sappy and cliche. Perhaps it takes the innocence of youth. Perhaps it also takes the cultural understanding of a subservient loyalty that transcends servitude. Everything in this movie is beautiful - the kites, the honor, the... read more cowardice, the triumph.
  
  Something that does not sit well with me though is the American Savior political slant. It's only a happy ending because Amir plucks Sohrab out of Kabul to provide him a better life in America. What the orphanage director says is true - Amir couldn't care less about the other children; in a way, he can't afford to care more - and what adult Assef says is true - Amir didn't witness the destruction of what he once called home; he now calls America home.

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  September 14, 2009

  paulsandberg

  Not quite a classic, as there are too many contrived elements, but nonetheless an insightful and often powerful film that lets us inside a land and culture that are very foreign to westerners.
  
  While we can revel in the differences, there is an undercurrent that yes, we are a... read morell human and suffer from the same tragic flaws, while all the while holding out hope for redemption.
  
  Jelousy - you got it in spades as the young boy here's his father telling his uncle that the younger servent boy is the kind of charactor he wishes his son was. That overhearing leads to a cascade effect wherein the boy ends up falsely accusing the servent of stealing. When confronted, the servent glances at his "friend", who can only look down and then away. Thinking that the boy will get in trouble with his father, the servent takes the fall, a selfless act of total friendship that the boy fails to comprehend until years older. by then, history and time have removed the servent from the picture, until, while living in exile in San Francisco, the main charactor is then called back to Afghanistan where secrets are revealed that lead him to make ammends for his past.
  
  There is a very strong undercurrent of bigotry in this film, as well as an adherence to a class system that exists even while in exile. It is painful to watch those who now have a leveled playing field, still cow towing to "superiors" who are equally as destitute. But to do otherwise would turn their beliefs inside out, furthering their feelings of displacement.
  
  an interesting side note: back in the 70's (when much of this film took place), I spent a glorious season as a kite fighter - something that I thought was unique to my group of friends, as I had never seen it done by anyone else until this film.

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  August 24, 2009

  emilebond007

  Satisfying adaptation of the great novel. Not Marc Forster's best.

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  March 27, 2009

  rezpatriot

  Pros: based on a book
  Cons: really bad screenplay

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  March 9, 2009

  76Majikat

  From book to film this intriguing story is quite an insight into the war-torn years in Afghanistan. Directed by Marc Forster, the film appears authentic and natural.
  
  The Kite Runner takes a little while to show which direction it is heading in, but during that period the foun... read moredations of the tale are set and character development is established.
  
  The film evolves into a class dividing, guilt ridden, culture changing journey, which questions loyalty and friendship to the deepest of levels.
  
  My one complain if any, is that the older Amir, was less of a good Actor than the boy who took the part of the younger Amir.

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  December 13, 2008

  TheMachinist

  "There is a way to be good again"
  
  "The Kite Runner" is an authentic and powerful portrayal of Afghanistan, a country that has suffered from a Soviet invasion and a Taliban regime. A country that is still at war.
  
  The movie tells a story about a man that has to go back to his hom... read moreecountry, several years has passed with him living a new life in the US. By going back, he gets a chance to redeem himself from his past.
  
  "The Kite Runner" is visually stunning and, importantly, has a story worth telling. The story goes thru several decades, starting from the 70's and ending in early 21st century.
  
  The actors, both young and old, amateur and professional, do a wonderful job. A special mention goes to Homayoun Ershadi's work as the lead characters father.
  
  Marc Forster once again proves that he very much likes metaphores and has an exceptional eye for detail. Recommended!
  
  "For you, a thousand times over"

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• Khalid Abdalla as Amir
• Homayoun Ershadi as Baba Amir's Father
• Zekiria Ebrahimi as Young Amir
• Shaun Toub as Rahim Khan
• Said Taghmaoui as Farid
• Nabi Tanha as Ali
• Sayed Jafar Masihullah Gharibzada as Omar
• Atossa Leoni as Soraya
• Ali Danish Bakhtyari as Sohrab

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• • Young Hassan: Why does he have to kill his wife? Why can't he just smell onions?
• • Young Hassan: For you, a thousand times
• • Baba Amir's Father: There is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft... When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal his wife's right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness.

• Which of the following 2007 movies is NOT based on a true story?  Answer »
• Spanning from the final days of Afghanistan's monarchy to the atrocities of the Taliban reign, an epic tale of fathers and sons, of friendship and betrayal, an unlikely friendship develops between Amir, the son of a wealthy Afghan businessman, and Hassan, a servant to Amir and his father.   Answer »
• Notable & Influential Films of ____. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead La Vie en Rose Eastern Promises Planet Terror The Kite Runner  Answer »
• Books into films: book endings "I ran."  Answer »

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