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The Beach (2000)

Director: Danny Boyle

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Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

Richard (DiCaprio) finds a treasure map in which 'X' marks the location of the backpacker's Holy Grail: a virgin beach deep in the Gulf of Thailand. In persuading the stunning Françoise (Ledoyen) and her beau Etienne (Canet) to accompany him on the dangerous journey, Richard also commits the cardinal sin of passing on the map to a couple of jocks. What they find on the island is a commune living at one with nature, albeit under the disturbingly stern stewardship of Sal (Swinton). This Heart of Darkness-lite has a techno pulse, lustrous cinematography and stars you could eat. It's only on arrival that problems emerge: there's no flesh on the bones of this island community. Worse, Richard's descent into madness feels distinctly half-baked. Yet the movie works, just about: screenwriter John Hodge has spiked up the romance of Alex Garland's novel and put a sober spin on the finale.

Author: TCh 0000-00-00 00:00:00

Time Out Film Guide

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  • Hollie said...
    Posted on Feb 25 2008 15:25 Excellent, had to write a review on it. thought it was astounding.
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Cast & crew

Director: Danny Boyle

Producer: Andrew Macdonald

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tilda Swinton, Virginie Ledoyen, Guillaume Canet, Robert Carlyle, Paterson Joseph, Lars Arentz Hansen, Daniel York full cast

Duration: 119 mins

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