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Year:   2000
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Movie:  3/5
DVD:    3/5

Teaser

Richard (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a traveller. Not a tourist for tourists merely visit a country and expect all the comforts and blandness of home. Richard wants to experience the real world and he finds himself in Thailand amid beauty and ugliness.

There he meets the borderline insane Daffy (Robert Carlyle), who tells Richard about this paradisical beach on a remote island off the coast. Richard is skeptical, until he finds a handdrawn map left on his door and Daffy dead in his room — suicide.

Now Richard is intrigued and resolves to visit this beach. But he doesn't want to go it alone so he enlists a young French couple — Etienne (Guillaume Canet) and Françoise (Virginie Ledoven) — to accompany him. Little do they know that Paradise requires sacrifices.

Movie

The Beach is a drama about human nature. Just going to the beach and frolicking around would have made a rather dull movie — or a good porn movie. The movie focuses on Richard and explores some fundamental questions: what are people willing to do to maintain paradise and what happens when the contradictions catch up to you?

Actors

I may not think much of DiCaprio but he does a good job playing Richard. He's a convincing liar and a charming American and his faults ultimately doom Paradise.

DVD

Cast and Crew biographies for a lot of people. Nine deleted scenes, including Director's commentary. Storyboards for the opening scenes and arrival at The Beach plus at least three other scenes. Music video: All Saints' "Pure Shore". 5-minute promo featurette. Commercials and trailers. Director Danny Boyle's audio commentary.

Recommendations

The Beach is an average movie, reminiscent of Survivor gone wrong. It does have a plot and storyline and explores some interesting areas. But it didn't really draw me into the movie. It's at least a watchable movie.
Copyright (c) 2003 Kevin C. Wong
Page Created: December 23, 2003 Page Last Updated: December 23, 2003