The Kite Runner

Adapted from Khaled Hosseini's popular bestselling novel, director Marc Forster's The Kite Runner begins in 2001, when Afghan-American novelist Amir (Khalid Abdalla) receives a call from Pakistan asking him to return home to right a past wrong. The story then shifts to Kabul, circa 1978, when then-12-year-old Amir, son of wealthy secularist Baba (Homayoun Ershadi), betrays his childhood friend Hassan, a servant to Amir's family. After the Russian invasion, Amir and Baba flee to California, where they meld into a close-knit refugee community, after which Amir marries and becomes an accomplished writer. It's at this point that Amir travels back to Pakistan, where he learns a secret that takes him into Taliban-controlled Afghanistan on a dangerous mission—one that will help expiate the guilt he's always felt over his treatment of Hassan. Parts of this story are quite affecting, especially the 1978 episode in Kabul, played with charming naturalness by the two young boys. Unfortunately, however, the final sequences in Afghanistan, devolve into melodramatic action-adventure. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Marc Forster, novelist Khaled Hosseini, and screenwriter David Benioff, the “Images” (25 min.) and “Words” (15 min.) production featurettes, a PSA, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an uneven adaptation.] (F. Swietek)[Blu-ray Review—Mar. 17, 2009—DreamWorks, 127 min., PG-13, $29.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2007's The Kite Runner sports a good transfer with Dolby TrueHD 5.1 sound. Blu-ray extras are identical to those on the standard DVD release, including audio commentary by director Marc Forster, novelist Khaled Hosseini, and screenwriter David Benioff, production segments on “Images” (25 min.) and “Words” (15 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: although flawed, The Kite Runner is still a strong optional purchase on Blu-ray, especially given the novel's overwhelming popularity.]