I'm usually weary of seeing films adapted from a book because if the film is bad, the imagery I conjured whilst reading the book is inevitably overridden by the characters and settings in the film, and I don't like that. But if the film is good, then I really don't mind my imagery being replaced.
As it turns out, this film was good. The film did quite well to capture the true essence of the book with the characters speaking in Farsi (although they speak more English towards the end) and the streets, buildings and the general setting was exactly how I imagined it.
They pretty much got the characters down to a tee as well, an incredulous performance on the young Hassan and Amir's behalf, as well as Baba and the other main characters. The film, in what little time it has, does well to capture the relationships between all the characters, and the consequences that inevitably follow.
The half-time stoning was portrayed brilliantly (I am not going to say realistically, because I've seen a video of someone being stoned, and it is not the same) because it shows how ruthless the Taliban are and how they delude themselves with the belief that they have a religious right for doing such a malicious act of violence under the name of God. It really captures the tragedy of such a brutal regime.
I wasn't sure about the acting of the older Amir because he sounded too Americanised, but as the film went on I gradually began to warm to him as he did portray Amir quite accurately.
The ending of the film may have been quite rushed, and the fight scene and confrontation with Assef could have been better (I really wanted to see the brass ball stuck in his eye
) but apart from that it is a fantastic film and is one of the better film adaptations I've seen in a while.
I would highly recommend the film to anyone, but I would advise you to read the book first.
The Kite Runner
Linear Mode
