Danny Boyle hasn’t made a hundred films and he doesn’t need to. Every film he has made has been special and though some are better than others, it is obvious that the man has a lot of talent. With Slumdog Millionaire causing a stir, I take a look at both Slumdog and his previous works.

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

A fantastic, vibrant, rags-to-riches love story. Check out my previous post for a little more on this gem and the trailer, below. Remember, it’s in cinemas now, so go see it!

Sunshine (2007)

Danny Boyle’s epic sci fi revolves around seven astronauts and their journey to reignite our dying sun by dropping their payload – a stellar bomb, into it. Sunshine is visually stunning but the characters are one-dimensional and for me, disappointing. Capa (Cillian Murphy – Breakfast on Pluto, The Wind That Shakes the Barley) does his best alongside Cassie (Rose Byrne – Damages, 28 Weeks Later), Chris Evans (Fantastic Four, Cellular) and the rest of the edgy, bored crew. Some complained about the sudden pace and direction change in the last third of the film, although there’s no denying that the bomb room – where the actors are able to stand on any four sides of the cube without falling off, looks fantastic. Sunshine’s plot is very similar to Event Horizon (1997), starring Sam Neil and Laurence Fishburne.

Millions (2004)

Sandwiched between Boyle’s horror (which would spawn an unnecessary, but very competent sequel) and his sci fi Sunshine, Millions tells the story of two little boys Damian (Alex Etel) and Anthony (Lewis McGibbon) who discover a suitcase full of money. Millions is a colourful, funny and big-hearted tale lifted high above similar productions due to its warmth and detail. Ronnie (James Nesbitt), plays the boys concerned dad. Another stella soundtrack supports the film with a quality bit of Muse during the heist sequence.

28 Days Later… (2002)

28 Days Later put Cillian Murphy in the spotlight and Danny Boyle back on the map as he rebooted horror films in general. Danny Boyle’s “Infected” (rage-filled super fast monsters sometimes mistaken for zombies), have been emulated in movies (the Dawn of the Dead remake) and several video games (Left 4 Dead, Resident Evil 4) ever since 28 Days’ release but the originals remain most frightening over six years on.

Jim (Cillian Murphy) trudges through a staggeringly empty London before teaming up with Selena (Naomie Harris), Frank (an excellent performance by Brendon Gleeson) and Hannah, his daughter (now a musician who looks like Marilyn Manson but sounds like Avril Lavigne – no, I don’t understand either).
Visually 28 Days is superb, filmed almost entirely in digital and the ending in 35mm. A deserted London and scattered remnants of humanity really hit home and it all feels horribly plausible. Also the violence is truly disturbing and in parts, sickening.

Many consider the second half of the film to be weaker when we are taken out of London. Personally I like the second half a lot, from the dialogue dealing with existence to the beating rain following the film’s mid-point watershed. I like the desperation, the chase and the isolation when Jim is split from the group. I also like the soldiers and Sergeant Farrell’s rant about mankind only being around for the blink of an eye. I also (also, also!) reckon Christopher Eccleston gives an excellent performance as Major Henry West and the In a House, In a Heartbeat crescendoing music sequence of the final act is superb.

The Beach (2000/I)

Many thought The Beach a disappointment while environmentalists got hacked off when the production decimated Ko Phi Phi Lee beach to shoot what they considered to be a more accurate representation of paradise. I’d argue that The Beach is a good film, from Leonardo DiCaprio’s narration to his downward mental spiral. This also marked a turning point as Boyle cast DiCaprio rather than McGregor for the starring role of Richard. Plenty of rumours have bounced around over what Ewan has or hasn’t said, but it’d be awesome to get him and the rest of the Trainspotting cast together for another Danny Boyle-helmed Trainspotting sequel (see the video at the bottom of this post).

I’d agree with the guys at CineFiles (see bottom of post) who mention that little girls were probably expecting the heartthrob they’d seen in Titanic, only to get an entirely different animal – one who would go a bit bonkers during the course of the film, culminating in a neat video-game sequence. Incidentally I’m a big fan of DiCaprio’s work, in my opinion he gets better and better. See Catch Me If You Can, The Aviator or his superb performance in Blood Diamond if you don’t believe me.

A Life Less Ordinary (1997)

Ewan and Diaz team up for this patchy comedy. Some moments sparkle, others don’t. It’s certainly worth a watch anyway, if only for the karaoke scene and cool animation sequence near the end.
I’ll flesh this one out when I get my hands on another copy as I haven’t seen it in a couple of years.

Trainspotting (1996)

Based on Irvine Welsh’s novel of the same name (written in phonetics, with dashes instead of speech marks), Trainspotting made Ewan McGregor a superstar and Danny Boyle the director of the day. Trainspotting is one of those fabulous British films that reminds the world what we can create when we put our minds to it. Or what Danny Boyle can create, haha.

One thing that irks me is how some believe this magnificent piece of cinema glorifies drugs. After first seeing this film I was revolted by the idea of sticking a needle in my arm, being so desperate that I’d hunt through mine and other people’s poo for suppositories and/or getting aids and a brain haemorrhage. Oh and then there’s the cold turkey scene with the dead baby crawling on the ceiling. No, I didn’t really get the glam part of the film. Perhaps I should watch it again? It’s my theory that the people who think Trainspotting says drugs are cool are the very same people who think that Slumdog casts India in a poor light, depicting it as one giant slum with zero merit. For a start, it doesn’t. It actually made me want to go and experience India for myself – more than ever before (and I’ve been talked to a lot about India in the last few years by family and friends). Second of all, it’s a film about someone who has grown up in a slum. Get it?!

Shallow Grave (1995)

Alex Law (Ewan McGregor), Juliet Miller (Kerry Fox) and David Stephens (Christopher Eccleston) are somewhat offensive flatmates looking for a forth. When their new resident ODs and pops his clogs in his room they discover his suitcase full of money (a recurring theme in Boyle films). Things get dark from hereon in, with the three opting to keep the money, but at what price? Which raises another question – what would you do? Shallow Grave is awesome due to it’s clever script and the chemistry between the three brilliant leads.

Danny Boyle Talks Trainspotting 2

An interesting short interview with Danny Boyle discussing Trainspotting 2, which he says will be very loosely based on Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting book sequel “Porno”.

The CineFiles – The Films of Danny Boyle

This is an awesome video where three Americans discuss all of Danny Boyle’s films up until Sunshine. It’s almost half an hour in length but well worth a watch if you’re interested in Danny Boyle’s films.

Share this entry: