Despite a somewhat brutal-to-watch beginning, Slumdog Millionaire emerges as a very enjoyable and unconventional film. Working with a relatively unknown cast, director Danny Boyle tells a compelling story about homeless kids, romance and unethical schemers. 

The movie opens with 18-year-old Jamal (Dev Patel), a tea server, suffering a horrendous beating by Indian law officials. Jamal is accused of cheating on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Although Jamal answered every question correctly, show officials can’t comprehend how he knew the answers. After all, he grew up an orphan in the slums of Mumbai.

It’s through the questioning of a Police Inspector (Irfan Khan) that the film’s story unfolds. The Inspector begins by asking Jamal how he knew the answer to question number one. Jamal explains the way he and his brother Salim (Madhur Mittal) survived together in the slums and overcame adversity by their own brilliance. The interrogation process repeats itself, and after each question, Jamal answers. He relates how the boys aged and became infatuated with the same beautiful girl, Latika (Freida Pinto). At first, Latika is drawn to Salim, but when he gets involved with a child-torturing predator, she and Jamal become close. 

Simon Beaufoy’s (Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day)  screenplay, adapted from the novel Q & A by Vikas Swarup, is a sweeping tale, one thoroughly presented in several flashbacks. Jamal and Salim are played by different actors during their maturing scenes. From stealing shoes to selling them, engaging in comedic boyish pranks or working for a slum lord, the boys' lives alternate between romantic, Tom-Sawyerish escapades and intense moments of adrenaline rushes.

The Award-winning Boyle has tackled many genres of films with such offerings as  Trainspotting, Shallow Grave, Millions, The Beach and A Life Less Ordinary. Each movie has brought him more respect for his insight and directing abilities. His skill in mastering the vivid and chaotic backdrop of Slumdog Millionaire as well as in obtaining top-notch performances from newcomers elevates his filmmaking status even more.  

Finding the chaotic shoot in the crowed streets of Mumbai to be less difficult than he expected, Boyle said, “You can’t do anything but shoot live as there are so many people in the streets. And you just have to go with it or you’d spend your entire budget in clearing the streets.”

Boyle has worked with many young cast members, and the older youths of Slumdog Millionaire found him incredibly patient. “I knew I had potential, and I worked my butt off to impress Danny,” said Patel, a British actor in the TV series Skins. “But he didn’t care if I was polished or not, he’s so energetic and has a great way of articulating what he wants to get out of a scene.”

Pinto, an Indian model and star of commercials, was also impressed with her director. “Danny has an uncanny way of putting you in the zone,” she declared. “He never gets angry. He tells us what he wants then patiently takes us through the scene several times.”

Weaving through Boyle’s latest film is a wonderfully transforming coming-of-age thread. It ties up several stories, and does so with heartfelt emotion. In my opinion, Slumdog Millionaire may be an Oscar contender in several categories this year.

(Released by Fox Searchlight Pictures and rated “R” for some violence, disturbing images and language.)

Review also posted at www.reviewexpress.com .