The Kite Runner

"Remember when “arthouse” was an attitude, rather than a colour palette?"

"While the largely unknown cast and subtitled dialogue may present a marketing challenge, they also create a feeling of authenticity in this poignant, intimate epic, which should attract a strong following among discerning audiences..."

"Mr. Forster, who previously directed “Monster’s Ball” and “Finding Neverland,” has been soundly defeated by The Kite Runner. Despite the film’s far-flung locations (it was shot primarily in China), there is remarkably little of visual interest here; the setups are banal, and the scenes lack tension, which no amount of editing can provide..."

"The terseness of Hosseini's prose has been replaced by the sentimentality of the director's approach..."

"Both boys give such heart-rending performances that fear of reprisals for participating in the scene persuaded the studio to postpone the film's release to give them time to leave Kabul..."

"A faithful, literal adaptation of Khaled Hosseini's best-selling novel gets off the ground but never soars..."

"The Kite Runner is a house divided against itself. The Marc Forster-directed version of the Khaled Hosseini novel does one part of the story so well that its success underlines what's lacking in what remains..."

"Based on Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini's 2003 novel of the same name, this fine film is illuminated by David Benioff's faithful adaptation, frill-free direction (barring Forster's overuse of kite-flying symbolism) and some terrific acting..."