December 7, 2007 -- “The Kite Runner,” based on the Khaled Hosseini book of the same name, gives a rare insight into life in Afghanistan before and after the Russian invasion, as well as a peek into the lives of Afghani expatriots living in Pakistan and the U.S. Mainly, this is a story of two friends from different social classes and how they remain connected for life. It is a story of cowardice, betrayal and redemption.

The main character in the movie is Amir (played by Khalid Abdalla of “United 93”) son of a wealthy Pashtun businessman (played by Homayoun Ershadi). Growing up in Afghanistan, is best friend is Hassan (Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada) the son of his father's servant, Ali (Nabi Tanha) and a member of a lower social class called Hazaras. Hassan always stood up for Amir and protected him from bullies. The two played together often. Ali was a good kite flyer and Hassan was a good kite runner, able to quickly track down and recover kites after the string had been cut in a kite battle. One day, when Hassan was being attacked by bullies and raped by an older boy, Amir couldn't bring himself to help Hassan. Instead, he ran away. Bothered by guilt, he tried to force Ali and Hassan out of the house so he would never have to face Hassan again, but his father refused. Eventually, Ali and Hassan moved away, despite the pleas of Hassan's father asking them to stay.

After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Amir and his father had to flee the country and ended up in the United States. Amir graduated from college and became an author. He married Soraya (daughter of a former Afghani general). Years later, in 2000, Amir got a call from his friend, father's old business partner Rahim Kahn (Shaun Toub of “The Nativity Story”), urging him to come to Pakistan to visit. Rahim Kahn was not a man to make such a request lightly. He had bad news for Amir. Hassan and his wife had been murdered by the Taliban and his son, Sohrab, had been taken away. Kahn asked Amir to go to Afghanistan, find Sohrab and bring him to Pakistan to live in an orphanage. Amir didn't want to risk his life to try to find this boy he'd never seen, until Rahim Kahn told him one more thing that changed his mind. Finally finding the courage inside him that he had always lacked before, Amir journeyed deep into the dangers of Afghanistan to find Sohrab and bring him home. Adventures and more shocking discoveries were waiting for him there.

The film, like the book, feels like it is based on a true story, but it is not. There are a few too many coincidences and the ending has more poetic justice in it and more redemption than one usually finds in real life. It is a good, sprawling yarn that covers a lot of miles and a lot of years. At times, the story drags a bit and seems a little too pedestrian. The acting by all the key players is very good, espcially the two child actors, Zekeria Ebrahimi who plays the young Amir and Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada who plays the Young Hassan. Homayoun Ershadi, who plays Amir's father gives a memorable performance as a man of wisdom and courage, the kind of father that would make any son proud. Production values are high with good cinematography and impressive sets. This film rates a B.

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Copyright © 2007 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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