Max Lowe is a Houston surgeon who has grown weary of the bureaucracy of American medicine. When he loses a patient on the operating table, Max impulsively decides to leave America and travel to India in the hope of finding himself. Not long after he arrives in Calcutta, Max is attacked by a group of thugs and left without money or a passport.
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Reviews
A Major Disappointment
Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.
It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.
It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
An good-hearted and inspiring film. Those with a taste for gritty film-noirs won't like it. Swayze is bit too picture-perfect, and the characters maybe 2-D, but I don't mind. I love Joffe's themes of redemption, self-sacrifice, and compassion in midst of a world of hate and cruelty. Be leery of critics who are too harsh on this movie. I especially love the portrayal of the Indian people. I gave it a 10 because I didn't like the fact that the IMDb average is weighted at 5.8. Some people have their own agenda: maybe they don't like Swayze, don't like Joffe, whatever. Don't trust these ratings and evaluate the movie according to your own values.Is the story a moral tale about personal redemption? Is it about class struggles and therefore a political drama? For some, there may be an issue with incoherence. (I found that to be the case for the Killing Fields). I personally like who Joffe blends these subplots and themes, making a human drama that is relevant to the individual and society at the same time.
Having been born and brought up in 'the City of Joy' and living in the western world for the last 5 years, I have mixed feelings about this movie. The locales (VERY much of Calcutta- the by-lanes, the rickshaws, tea stalls, colleges, streets- all of them) give it a sense of realism, but I'd have to say that the movie does get too preachy. The hero does save the day in the end, but well, this is not the Calcutta one relates to. It is the centre for art, culture, music, drama, books, literature- and the now-made-famous-by-Late Mother Teresa's work, the outskirts of Calcutta. Cinematically, the movie does get dragging at times and one starts questioning the motive of the director Roland Joffe (sympathy or point blank nakedness? Trying to make people aware of hit them at weak points to arouse interest?) but it is a passable "entertainer", strictly due to the wonderful work by the Indian cast, especially the great Om Puri as Hazari. Could have been a great one if it followed the book a little closer.
Although the movie might not have the best direction or not one of the best laid picture it still has a lot of good things. If you have visited India (where it has been primarily filmed) and especially Kolkotta city you would see the realistic nature of movie. It depicts the day to day life of a person below the poverty line. It also highlights the morality of foreigners and NGO's who are trying to help the needy. Very often they have to face resistance from local authorities who either want to exploit the masses or think the foreigners are trying to religiously exploit them. In nut shell I liked the movie.
The Western society has been fed ideas about India being a poor country. Movies like these only make those beliefs stronger. Such illustrations make it all the more difficult for Indians to be accepted abroad. Agreed there are poor and homeless in India, but why is there no representation of educated people if not the successful ones.I totally hated the idea of the movie portraying Patrick Swayze as another Mother Teressa. In my opinion this movie has shown India in a very bad light giving wrong notions. It is unjust to discuss only one aspect of the society. Exactly the reason why people ask me, "When we go to India, can we hire an elephant right outside the airport so we do not have to walk on the roads so full of filth and snakes?"Those who want a second opinion on contemporary Indian society should watch "Monsoon Wedding".