Gandhi (1982)

Gandhi was a pretty meh movie, and I feel like a jerk for saying it, but Richard Attenborough has no flair has a director. You know when you watch a movie, there’s always at least one aspect that sticks out for you, well in Attenborough’s film is just meat and potatoes. Sure Gandhi was one of the most influential people of the last century, I have read his autobiography, and it changed how I saw the world, but watching the movie, it felt so fictitious. I’ve only seen one other Attenborough film, Chaplain, and got the same feeling from it too; amazing story, but flat direction.
Ben Kingsley was pretty good as Gandhi, but, again I feel like a jerk for saying it, the performance didn’t seem exceptional.
I’m thinking my guilt for writing this negative review is probably due to the subject matter. Gandhi was an incredible person who changed so many people’s lives, therefore it feels wrong to deride anything that is associated with his legacy. Probably that’s what the Academy was thinking when they were handing out the Oscar’s that year.