City of Joy
July 2004 Reviewed by: Josh Barber Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

Patrick Swayze has turned into quite a respectable actor in the past few years, with roles such as the personal-empowerment counselor in Donnie Darko. But the early stage of Swayze's career wasn't all Dirty Dancing and Road House, as evidenced by 1992's City of Joy.

Swayze plays Max Lowe, a pediatrician looking to disappear after a disastrous operation. He flees to Calcutta where, after being mugged by con men, he meets Hasari Pal, a farmer who lost his land to debt collectors and has come to the city in search of opportunity.

After an uneasy period of denial, Lowe begins to assist at a free health clinic, where he is forced to rediscover the skills he had tried to leave behind. Hasari begins running a rickshaw for a local godfather and his abusive son. The film is a series of clashes between the criminals and the residents and neighbors of the film's titular clinic.

Much like the just-released The Last Samurai, City of Joy relies too heavily on the saving presence of the white American. Though Swayze does a good job in the role, seeing him preach against India's caste system seems silly, which is more a problem with the script than the actor. Add to that a set of comic-relief lepers, a perfectly timed monsoon and any number of other tiny flaws, and you're left with a movie that can be uplifting as you watch it, but is disappointing in the end.

While Swayze proves himself a better actor than his ’80s-heartthrob status would suggest, the real stars of the film are Om Puri and Shabana Azmi. Puri gives Hasari a real sense of pride, which makes us feel for him and his family as they adapt to life in the city. Azmi is a calm and constant force in an otherwise harried film.

The image quality on this disc is decent, if a bit murky at times. Colors are usually crisp and vibrant, but some scenes look as though they were processed incorrectly, which is more likely a problem with the source material than the transfer. There is a bit of grain in some scenes, but the large, night exterior shots are lit admirably. Since the film is set in one of the world's most populous cities, background noise is an almost constant drone of voices and sounds. The voices (and varying accents) are clear and distinct. Ennio Morricone's musical score is subdued, with a few dramatic flourishes of the sitar and an unfortunate bout of overly inspirational music during a rainstorm.

The only extras on the disc are the previews for Death Wish, Gandhi, and Lawrence of Arabia.

Though a naive, Western look at Indian culture, City of Joy's imperfect script is partially saved by its excellent cast.

• Go Back