Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (July 18, 2023)
In the PR materials for 2007’s The Kite Runner, we learn that the film comes “based on the beloved best-selling book”. I assume this is correct, but since I usually read non-fiction, this novel essentially flew under my radar.
Oh, I’d heard about it, but I knew little. I didn’t even possess the cursory knowledge of Runner that I took into The Da Vinci Code, another smash book I didn’t read.
And I must admit I kind of dug the fact that I went into Runner with so little foreknowledge. This left me open to the story in a broader than usual manner.
We meet a pair of Afghani boys named Amir (Zekiria Ebrahimi) and Hassan (Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada). Their tale starts in 1978, as the wealthy, non-confrontational Amir and the streetwise, tougher Hassan – also the son of a family household servant - prove inseparable.
They especially love to enter kite-flying contests in which Amir takes the lead and Hassan is his second in command, also known as a “kite runner” since he chases down the ones that get “cut” and set loose.
Unfortunately, their friendship won’t last. When some bullies assault and rape Hassan, the passive Amir fails to do anything to help his friend.
Amir’s guilt and self-loathing make it difficult from him to spend time with his pal. To that end, Amir frames Hassan for the theft of a watch, and although Amir’s dad (Homayoun Ershadi) forgives the boy, Hassan’s father (Nabi Tanha) refuses to stay in the family’s employ and they depart.
Not long thereafter, the Soviets invade Afghanistan, so Amir and his pop flee the country. They plan to return once the aggressors depart, but that doesn’t take place.
We follow up on the family in 1988, when we find Omar working at a gas station in California and Amir (Khalid Abdalla) a recent college graduate. The film takes a brief sojourn there to show some life developments before it heads to 2000. The rest of the movie follows Amir’s path as he attempts to right some wrongs.
As I noted at the outset, I never read The Kite Runner, so I can’t discuss whatever charms its boasts as a novel. I certainly expect it must work much better in text form than on the big screen, as the cinematic version of Runner suffers from a mix of flaws.
The film works best during its first act back in the 1970s. The tale of Hassan and Amir as kids proves reasonably involving, though even that encounters more than a few problems.
For one, it involves an awful lot of predictable elements, like when it becomes inevitable the bullies will do something to Hassan. Sure, we don’t know what, but there’s no chance at all that the story won’t take that path.
This means the flick lacks much that surprises us. Even after this inevitable confrontation, nothing we can’t anticipate occurs.
Young Amir creates his own concerns. He’s so unsympathetic and unlikable from the start that we find it terribly difficult to invest in his story.
I suppose we should allow him some ethical liberties due to his youth, but he always comes across as a snooty coward and not a kid with whom we can empathize. Ebrahimi seems okay in the part, but he can’t muster the emotional range necessary to give us some affection for Amir.
Matters don’t improve once the film leaves Afghanistan. The entire 1988 segment feels completely pointless, as the plot points it contains could’ve been summarized in a very short segment.
This section doesn’t last more than 25 minutes or so, but it goes nowhere other than on a detour to Weepytown. This act grinds the film to a halt and doesn’t remotely connect to the main story. Runner could easily lose the entire section and be none the worse for it.
When we get to 2000 and Amir’s quest to rectify some issues, the film remains stalled. Actually, it turns into yet a different genre flick, as it now feels like an 1980s action movie. As adult Amir winds his way into Afghanistan, I half expected Rambo to pop up and mow down the Taliban.
Another weak performance doesn’t help. While Ebrahimi failed to make Amir sympathetic, at least he gave the character some personality.
As the adult Amir, Abdalla is so dull he insults dishwater. He presents absolutely no charisma.
I’m amazed that his image stuck to the film, as he’s relentlessly forgettable and creates a negligible presence. And this guy is supposed to be our protagonist? I’ve seen baked potatoes with more spark to them.
Runner isn’t a complete loss, as a few good moments occasionally arise. In particular, we get a very nice performance from Mahmoodzada as the young Hassan.
Yes, that’s an easier part than Amir, but he adds a directness and honesty to the part that make him effective. Mahmoodzada creates some of the film’s only compelling moments.
Maybe if Madmoodzada stayed on screen through the flick’s whole 127 minutes he could’ve redeemed The Kite Runner. Unfortunately, he vanishes after 50 minutes or so, and the rest of the film can’t even remotely sustain our interest.
A bunch of absurd third act plot twists doesn’t help, as they feel like desperate attempts to maintain our attention. They don’t work, and neither does Runner as a whole.