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| The Kite Runner | 
 enlarge | Director: Marc Forster
Actors: L. Peter Callender, Larry Brown, Said Taghmaoui, Shaun Toub, Homayoun Ershadi
Studio: Dreamworks Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.99
Buy Used: $3.99
You Save: $26.00 (87%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  105 reviews
Sales Rank: 2251
Format: Ac-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), Russian (Original Language), Urdu (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 127
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: PARD117974D
UPC: 097361179742
EAN: 0097361179742
ASIN: B0012OX7EO
Theatrical Release Date: 2007
Release Date: March 25, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 a good film--but the first half needs editing January 2, 2008
2 out of 6 found this review helpful
The Kite Runner is a moving story about two young boys of different classes who get along great as brothers would. The two youths, named Amir (Zekeria Ebrahimi as the young Amir; Khalid Abdalla as the grown up Amir) and Hassan, play together and fly kites in the sky, one of the few pastimes for children in Afghanistan in the late 1970s. Look also for an excellent performance by Homayoun Ershadi as Baba, Amir's father and Atossa Leoni as Soraya, the woman Amir eventually marries.
Over time in Afghanistan it becomes abundantly clear that Amir is jealous of Hassan because Hassan gets so much moral support and affection from Amir's father. Hassan and his father live in Baba's home and Hassan's father is a servant to Baba and Amir.
Over time, older kids do Hassan a great deal of bodily harm that is not at all pleasant; they are bullies who, like many people living in Afghanistan at the time, believe that Hassan is from a lower class of person and therefore it doesn't matter if they abuse him--he deserves it in their eyes. Amir could have helped Hassan when Hassan is badly harmed but instead Amir runs away like a coward. Amir eventually gets rid of Hassan and Hassan's father by making it look like Hassan stole a watch from Amir. This terrible deed slowly but surely sets things up for a situation in which a grown, mature Amir needs to rid himself of his guilt and redeem himself by doing a good and wonderful deed for Hassan's son.
When the former Soviet Union invades Afghanistan in 1979, Amir and his father must leave the country at once to avoid being killed by the Communists. They eventually wind up in America; but Hassan and his father remain in Afghanistan.
Years pass--and then Amir gets a phone call to come to Pakistan because things aren't going well. Amir goes there right away to help; and he wants to meet Hassan's son anyway.
Yes, Amir does go to Afghanistan. However, I won't provide any plot spoilers for you. What happens if Amir finally meets Hassan after all these years? What about Hassan's son--and his other relatives back in Afghanistan? Watch the movie and find out!
Unfortunately, the plot development drags and the first hour could have been cut by a good fifteen minutes or even twenty minutes. They take too much time to merely establish that Amir's family is wealthy and that the boys are very good friends. The kite running scenes are beautiful, however. The action in the movie doesn't truly begin until the last half hour of this two hour film; and that disappoints me.
The cinematography works wonders especially in the kite flying scenes; and the choreography is marvelous in wedding scenes and more.
The Kite Runner is a rather good film; but be prepared to check your watch once or twice during the first hour of the movie. The acting is excellent and indeed everything else is terrific; but The Kite Runner could have been more powerful with a tighter editing job.
I highly recommend this film for people interested in moving stories involving relationships over many years; and the movie so often requires subtitles (about 90% of the way) that I would probably classify this as a foreign film. In addition, people of Afghan and Pakistani descent and their relatives may want to see this film.
 Magnificent movie about friendship, betrayal and finding oneself January 1, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
The Kite Runner is a story about friendship, loyalty, betrayal and redemption. It is also about the tragedy that is Afghanistan and the plight of its people. For those who have yet to experience first hand the squalor and stench of a third world country, it is hard to imagine what it takes to survive, let alone face the day-to-day indignities of having to ask somebody for food, money, hope. Adding to the misery are the cruel, inhuman ways of the Taliban as they roam the streets of Kabul murdering anyone who catches their fancy.
Against this backdrop, director Marc Forster weaves the story of Amir (Khalid Abdallah), an Afghan immigrant and his struggle to discover himself and atone for an act of cowardice that altered the lives of the people he cares for and loves.
The movie opens in modern-day San Francisco. Amir's dream of becoming a famous writer becomes a reality as he celebrates the publication of his first novel. Even though he has achieved the American dream, there remains an emptiness in him. His father, a once powerful and influential figure in Afghanistan, is no more. There is only his wife, the beautiful Soraya (Atossa Leoni) and her parents. In flashbacks, he recalls the happy days of childhood he had in Afghanistan and how he spent these wonderful moments with his best friend, Hassan, the son of his father's oldest friend and live-in servant, Ali. He also recalls the Russian invasion and the coming of the Taliban and how they fled to Pakistan in order to get to America.
When he receives the news that his father's oldest friend and confidant wants to see him, he travels to Pakistan. What he discovers there will rock the very core of his existence. But it is what he decides to do after that that will help him re-discover himself and finally find the peace of mind that has always eluded him.
Based on the novel by Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner is a film that lets your heart soar and reminds you that there is still goodness in humanity, and that hope and redemption are available to those who are willing to make sacrifices.
It is beautifully filmed, with a haunting musical score from the talented Alberto Iglesias and a stellar performance from the cast. The young boys, Amir and Hassan, played by Zekeria Ebrahimi and Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada, are a revelation. They are simply perfect for their roles. Homayoun Ershadi, who plays Amir's father, Baba, gives an understated yet effective supporting performance. Also noteworthy are the songs of British singer, Sami Yusuf, which add to the authenticity and regional flavour of the film.
It is not by all means a perfect movie. There are some moments when it seems unbelievable, and there is a deliberate intention to tug all the emotional strings.
This year, there are a number of outstanding book-to-film adaptations, and while Atonement and There Will be Blood top the list, The Kite Runner is not far behind.
Sturdy adaptation of soaring novel. 4.5 stars December 30, 2007
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
THE KITE RUNNER is a tear-jerker. Simple as that. So be ready to get at least a little choked up about 4 times. It adheres pretty faithfully to the book, also a major tearjerker. I've read some criticisms of the film stating that it is too manipulative, and laying blame at the feet of director Marc Forster. Well, I'm here to tell you that Mr. Forster worked hard to bring the spirit of the book to life, and that spirit included a lot of blatantly manipulative, but nonetheless very effective, tugging of heartstrings.
The story pretty much starts in 1978, in Kabul, Afghanistan. One boy, probably about 10, is Amir, the son of a wealthy and ever so slightly scandalous businessman. His best friend is the son of the family servant, Hassan. The two boys are pretty much inseparable, and it is clear that Hassan is willing to risk anything for his friend Amir. A friend he also considers his "better," but in a non-resentful manner. He understands that his station is lower, and yet he still admires Amir. The two have a tight relationship, but Amir is vulnerable to the teasing of local teens, who chastise him for befriending a lowly person such as Hassan. Amir, we find out fairly soon, is coward...and thus Hassan is left to stick up for him a great deal.
One fateful day, the two boys win the local Kite fighting contest. Apparently, kite flying is pretty important in their culture, and we get to see some sweeping scenes of kites soaring. The object of the game is to use your kite and its string to sever the string of other kites. Last kite flying wins. The "kite runners" are those who chase down the lost kites...which they can keep. Hassan is Amir's kite runner, and when his friend/master wins the competition, Hassan takes off through the streets to recover the final trophy. Amir is exalted, because he has won the unconditional approval of his hard-to-please father. But when Hassan does not return in a timely manner, Amir goes looking for him, only to witness a horrific act being committed on his friend. Not only does he not intervene, but he becomes so wracked with guilt that he commits his own terrible act of betrayal.
An act he can never correct, because shortly thereafter, the Soviets invade, and Amir and his father flee from the country (depicted in a few brief, but effective scenes).
We skip years ahead, to see the two have moved to Southern California. The father, Baba, once wealthy and respected, works in a convenience store...but he's content to see his son graduate from community college and they both make a good place for themselves in the Afghan community.
We spend quite a while in the states, seeing Amir grow into a man...but eventually, his guilt past comes calling.
I won't say anymore, because if you haven't read the story, you really need to discover all the turns of the plot for yourself.
The movie is lovely to look at. It is well filmed, and the kite scenes are thrilling. It is well acted, particularly by the young Amir and Hassan, as well as the actor who plays the father. It is faithful to the book, which depending on how you felt about the book, could be a good thing or a bad thing (for me, it is a good thing, I really liked the book). The film will almost certainly move you. The audience I saw it with was mostly older adults, and they applauded at the end...a rarity for that crowd.
However, the character of Amir is so dreadfully unlikable that even as he struggles to redeem himself, I just wanted to smack him. His acts of cowardice are so damaging and so frequently repeated...I just had a hard time accepting his plight. He's not an anti-hero...he's just a somewhat unsympathetic character. He's surrounded by great characters, and thus the story is still enchanting and moving...but Amir is a void. If we had seen more complexity in his character...rather than just guilt and cowardice...we might warm up to the film even more.
Also, the book had the time and space to help us understand the Afghan culture and political situation more. It served as an excellent reminder of just how horrific the Taliban was/is. (Although author Khaled Hosseini's latest book, A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS does this even better.) This is mostly missing from the movie. I'm not suggesting that the film needs it...because you would then have the danger of going too long and becoming "preachy." But there is no doubt that this added texture makes the book superior to the film.
I still highly recommend the film. It is an unusual and touching story, well told by director Forster and his sturdy cast. The movie is rated PG-13, which is appropriate, and that's probably about the youngest you would ever want to take a child.
Courage in the face of adversity and a second chance at redemption. Great film! December 28, 2007
44 out of 47 found this review helpful
I read this book a few years ago and loved it. And, frankly, I was worried that the filmmakers might ruin the movie. That silly worry of mine sure was wrong though. I know it doesn't seem possible, but the movie was even better than the book. I think that it was because the act of reading allowed me to put the book down and pick it up at a later time. The movie, however, is right there, in your face, and doesn't give the viewer any reprieve from the compelling plot or the constant tension. I knew the story of course, and during one of the crucial scenes I found myself crying real tears even before one particular awful scene happened. And then I watched it in horror in full living color, knowing what would happen next and understanding that there were no easy answers.
This is the story of a friendship between two boys in Afghanistan. It starts in the 1970's before the Communists and before the Taliban. Life was complex enough then even without the awful politics which came later. Amir was the only son of a wealthy businessman and rather shy. Hassan was the son of a servant and of a lower class social group. Amir and Hassan shared a deep friendship despite the social differences between them and were a team in one of the big events in their town - a kite flying contest. At the very moment of victory though, there is a tragic act of aggression against Hassan which changes the relationship between the two boys forever. Each of the boys suffers in his own way. For Amir, it affects his life forever. All of this is set against an historical background of Afghanistan when it was secular and modern, especially for the upper classes. Women were free to go around unveiled. Books of all kind were available, although, shamefully, boys like Hassan were not taught to read.
Then the world turned topsy turvy. Amir and his father had to flee for their lives and wound up in California. Amir marries, becomes a writer. And then, now, twenty years later, he receives a call from his father's friend who has fled to Pakistan. "You must come back" is the message. This is the time of the Taliban. Life is horrible in Afghanistan. But Amir, now a man, is given the opportunity to do an heroic act. How this all plays out is scary and uplifting and real. I was sitting at the edge of my seat in the movie theater even though I knew how it would all turn out.
I loved this film. The casting was excellent. Filmed in California and China, all of the actors seemed to be Afghanistani and the dialog was in Dari, Pashtu, Urdu and Russian as well as English. I particularly liked the performance of Homayoun Ershadi who played the father with wisdom and strength even when his fortune was reversed and he worked at a convenience store in California and sold merchandise at a flea market on weekends. There is a sense of authenticity throughout. Mostly, though, it was the theme that drove the film, a universal theme of sin and redemption and how a person can have a second chance to go from cowardice to courage.
I live in New York City and the film opened in one of the art theaters. This might mean that it may never go mainstream. If this is true, it is a shame. The film was a winner all the way. Yes, it is disturbing and might just haunt your dreams. Clearly, it is for adults only too. In spite of all the horror though, it ends with an inspiring and uplifting note. Don't miss this very important film. I give it my very highest recommendation.
Brotherhood, Betrayal and Blandness - Spoiler Notice Added as per reader response December 25, 2007
10 out of 15 found this review helpful
While Marc Forster's adaptation of Khaled Hosseini's "The Kite Runner" faithfully and enjoyably follows the book's storyline, it does so without the benefit of many of the novel's acclaimed multi-layered and nuanced techniques. Alas, it is always difficult to translate a work of literature to that of film yet happily, the story of the two children takes off at the start with the refreshing lift of one of the fighting kites shown to perfection in the kite flying sequences. Unfortunately, that sense of reaching for the sky comes to a screeching halt once the boys split and the film's momentum slows while relaying the immigrant experience in America. Even the climatic ending bores somewhat; what works in a book seems contrived in a film that filters days of reading into 120 minutes on celluloid.
Nevertheless, the potential for the film to speak volumes over a cultural abyss certainly is palpable even while viewing just the trailer. Despite the obvious charms of the two children, the strong performance by Homayoun Ershadi as the intellectual communist and mullah-hating Baba, the digitally enhanced ballet of the fighting kites, and the sometimes soaring panoramic view of the white capped mountains rising above the frenetic energy of pre-Communist Kabul, "The Kite Runner" fails on some level of detail that is difficult to pinpoint, yet strangely obvious due to its absence. Even with the spectacular alliance of lovely sets, wonderfully unknown actors and a tale of delayed coming of age, the overall depiction achieves a slightly unpolished ambiance that suggests, ever so sadly more Lifetime Movie Channel tension than Academy Award nuance.
As the adult Amir, actor Khalid Abdalla misses the mark somewhat---he doesn't convey the demonstrative depth indigenous to a man tortured by a childhood hallmarked by countless acts of cowardice. The film's Amir seems hesitant as well he should, overwhelmed as a child by the outspoken nobility of his father, Baba---a definitive hard act to follow as exemplified by a passion ignited scene where Baba almost stupidly yet heroically defies a Russian soldier while defending the honor of a lower caste Afghan wife.
Child actor, Zekiria Ebrahimi, with his dark chocolate eyes fluctuating between conflicting emotional states of camaraderie, jealousy, guilt and learned superiority, elicits well-deserved pity and disappointment from the audience. We cringe at his uncertainty, understanding his sense of failure in the knowledge that his father recognizes and approves of the stubborn manliness of his Hazara servant, Hassan, played to perfection by the adorably stoic Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada more so than he does the sensitive yet underhanded nature of his own son. Amir's lies shift beautifully within the dark liquidity of his eyes like the kites that duel against the backdrop of the Hindukush system of mountains and we are mesmerized by the deep sadness that lies within their depths. The film's childhood segment succeeds in seducing us with its colorful charm and its wealth of story background.
However, once Amir transitions from Kabul to California and childhood to manhood, he and the film loose ground. The deep-rooted inferiority blatantly exhibited by the child just doesn't appear inherent to the adult actor's emotional repertoire. Amir's mature uncertainty seems to stem from a nebulous source: perhaps if it formulated from angst derived from his desire to be a writer, his immigrant adaptation to an American environment or more simply his change of social station, we would nod our heads in mutual understanding.
Whatever the case, once the story leaves the quaint environs of Kabul, the film seems to flounder; the unfolding of the crisis highlighted by the chemistry between the two boys dwindles even when Amir returns to his homeland to find the son of his one time friend. Only the strong insistent thread provided by Homayoun Ershadi (Baba) weaves through this portion of the film reminding us of the ideal Afghanistan and the real intent of the film.
And like Afghanistan, we cannot forget the character Hassan--who acts as a metaphor of sorts for the persistent nature of a country that even after invasion remains distinctly steadfast and loyal in its view of the role it plays. Even in death Hassan rises again like the phoenix, his spirit embodied by his son--he epitomizes his homeland tired of communist invaders, Taliban fanatics and caste discrimination. This relationship between Hassan and his country although played with isn't explored. The similarities between Hassan and Baba should be underlined to keep the idealistic Afghanistan alive during the immigrant portion of the film.
Bottom line: "The Kite Runner" has much in its favor, however, its segments and performances offer an uneven depiction of a young Afghan's struggle to assuage a major event defining a troubled childhood. Visually pleasing and culturally fascinating, this trial by fire develops into an improbable tale of coincidence and loose threads that eventually tie up into a pleasing little bundle of bittersweet reckoning. Performances of note include Homayoun Ershadi and Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada. Recommended with caution -beware the rather sensitive treatment of child rape and sexual slavery- which no matter how delicately treated still disturbed this reviewer, as well it should.
Diana Faillace Von Behren
"reneofc"
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