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The Kite Runner
2007
Based on the international bestseller by Khaled Hosseini, THE KITE RUNNER is a fascinating historical epic set in 20th-century Afghanistan. In 1978, Amir (Zekiria Ebrahimi) and Hassan (Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada) are young boys living in Kabul, where Hassan and his father, Ali (Nabi Tanha), work as servants for Amir and his father, .. Read more
| Starring | Khalid Abdalla, Homayon Ershadi, Zekeria Ebrahimi, Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada |
|---|---|
| Director | Marc Forster |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
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The Kite Runner
Based on the international bestseller by Khaled Hosseini, THE KITE RUNNER is a fascinating historical epic set in 20th-century Afghanistan. In 1978, Amir (Zekiria Ebrahimi) and Hassan (Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada) are young boys living in Kabul, where Hassan and his father, Ali (Nabi Tanha), work as servants for Amir and his father, Baba (Homayoun Ershadi). Amir and Hassan make an excellent team in kite competitions, with Hassan having a gift for running kites, but after one contest, he is bullied by Assef (Elham Ehsas), who does unspeakable things to him as Amir watches from a distance and then runs away, not helping his friend. As the Russians and then the Taliban take over Afghanistan, Baba and Amir escape to America, where they make a new home in San Francisco. But even as he graduates from college and meets a beautiful young woman, Soraya (Atossa Leoni), who is also from Kabul, Amir (now played by Khalid Abdalla) is haunted by his cowardice and can't turn down an opportunity to try to make things right when it is offered by his father's old friend Rahim Khan (Shaun Toub)--even if it means risking his life. THE KITE RUNNER was adapted for the screen by David Benioff (THE 25TH HOUR), with much of the dialogue spoken in Dari, one of the primary languages in Afghanistan. Director Marc Foster (MONSTER'S BALL, FINDING NEVERLAND) does a deft job navigating the complicated story, which moves from Afghanistan to San Francisco and Pakistan (with much of the film actually shot in China), using many nonprofessional actors and a subtle score composed by Alberto Iglesias. Ebrahimi and Mahmoodzada make impressive debuts, with solid work by Abddalla, Leoni, and especially Ershadi.
| Starring | Khalid Abdalla, Homayon Ershadi, Zekeria Ebrahimi, Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada, Shaun Toub, Nabi Tanha |
|---|---|
| Director | Marc Forster |
| Studio | PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 4 mins Blu-ray: 2 hrs 8 mins HD DVD: 2 hrs 4 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Collections | 100 Hot Hits, 100 Most Wanted, New releases |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
| Language | DVD: English Blu-ray: English HD DVD: English |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Subtitles | DVD: English, Dutch Blu-ray: Spanish, French, Portuguese, English |
| Released | DVD: 02 Jun 2008 Blu-ray: 20 Jul 2009 HD DVD: not available Production year: 2007 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (4)
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Nuanced perfs and standout production design convey story in cinematic terms, preserving the narrative's emotional power and historical sweep as it spans continents and decades
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The film feels totally convincing in all its technical aspects, including its use of Chinese locations to double for the story's Afghan setting
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Most helpful member's review
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210 out of 211 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Afghani family values and an eye on their problems
The story of boyhood friends from each side of the caste system in Afghanistan, this brings home the actual significance of personal tragedies war, disputes and caste systems (in fact bias of any kind) cause, and the vile atrocities and nastiness of all regimes who prey on the easily influenced, weak and displaced. As it is concentrated mainly on one family it brings home the whole reality of suffering such armed disputes of this nature cause. After the fall of Afghanistan to the Russians, those who could afford it fled, and the ones left behind faced hardships that if anything worstened after the Russian withdrawal and the new 'regime' of the Taliban started their own sort of pogrom. There is no hollywood glitz glamour or hype here, just an accurate (slightly watered down for various reasons) following of an a book. If you have any interest in recent history, or world affairs as not thrown at you by some media rag or biased TV news reporting, this will be worthwhile, almost essential, viewing.
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Most recent members' review
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58 out of 59 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Kite-fighting and friendship
This film’s story begins in Kabul, Afghanistan, in the 1970s. We meet two 12-year-old boys, Amir and Hassan. The two are close friends. But there’s also tension in their friendship: Amir is the son of a well-to-do family; he is a Pashtun, the ruling class in the country at that time. Hassan is the son of the family’s servant, and is a Hazara, a racial group looked down on by many Pashtuns. Though Hassan is Amir’s friend, he never forgets he is also his loyal servant.
A central theme in the movie is that of “kite-fighting”, a popular sport in Afghanistan. In a big tournament, hundreds of kites can be in flight at the same time. Contestants coat the strings of their kites with broken glass; the object of the game is to cut the strings of other kites, with the last kite flying being declared the winner. As part of the game, boys run to pick up and keep each defeated kite. Hassan is not only Amir’s dedicated supporter in the game – he is the most talented kite-runner in Kabul.
The story moves on to the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, during which Amir and his father flee to America. Following the expulsion of the Russians comes the tyrannical rule of the Taliban. By this time, Amir, now married and in his early twenties, has lost track of Hassan. Amir’s uncle calls from Pakistan, begging Amir to return to Kabul. Amir reluctantly agrees, and from that point events gain momentum until the climax of the story.
Unlike some other reviewers, I think the screenplay does a pretty good job of staying true to Khaled Hosseini’s book. Of course, in a film lasting just over 2 hours, a lot of content has to be cut out, but I’d say the movie does manage to capture the main turning-points of the story, so that interest never flags.
I’m usually not one to go much on special effects – but in this film, during the kite-fighting sequences, we often find ourselves ABOVE the kites, looking down on them as they wheel and swoop in the sky, with the houses and streets of Kabul way below them. This is a thrilling experience, made even more so by energetic swishing sounds as the warring kites zoom past (a bit like the swishing of the swords in a kung-fu movie).
There’s splendid acting from the whole cast, especially the two boy actors who play the young Amir and Hassan.
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- IanStewart from Melton Mowbray
- Posted 13 Mar 2008 19:36
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Kite Runner, The - HD DVD Version
Based on the international bestseller by Khaled Hosseini, THE KITE RUNNER is a fascinating historical epic set in 20th-century Afghanistan. In 1978, Amir (Zekiria Ebrahimi) and Hassan (Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada) are young boys living in Kabul, where Hassan and his father, Ali (Nabi Tanha), work as ...
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- Kite Runner, The - BLU-RAY Version
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Based on the international bestseller by Khaled Hosseini, THE KITE RUNNER is a fascinating historical epic set in 20th-century Afghanistan. In 1978, Amir (Zekiria Ebrahimi) and Hassan (Ahmad Khan ... -
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- The Kite Runner
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Based on the international bestseller by Khaled Hosseini, THE KITE RUNNER is a fascinating historical epic set in 20th-century Afghanistan. In 1978, Amir (Zekiria Ebrahimi) and Hassan (Ahmad Khan ... -