"The Beach" (2000)

Directed by Danny Boyle and based on the novel by Alex Garland, The Beach tells the story of twenty-something-year-old Richard who travels to Thailand and comes across a mysterious map. Rumours suggest that it leads to a solitary paradise and intrigued, he sets out to find it, with the help of a young French couple, Francois and Éitienne, whom he meets at his hotel. I think the genres of this movie are primarily thriller/drama though of course there is a bit of romance thrown into the mix as well as Richard takes a shine to Francois, despite her being with Éitienne...

Leonardo DiCaprio is the star of the movie so of course I love it...but I have to admit it I only loved it up to a point, and then towards the end I felt the plot sort of deteriorated a bit; became kind of unfocused as though the structure temporarily collapsed. However, I do love Danny Boyle’s directing. The opening scene in particular I think is a great way to open the film. It starts off really quiet then Richard starts speaking: “My name is Richard, so what else do you need to know? Stuff about my family or where I’m from? None of that matters. Not when...” and it continues, explaining how he came to be where he is. The first shot is merely of his silhouette and the silhouettes of cars whizzing past the screen. This combined with the narration and the background music only gradually fading in, I think creates an ambiguous feeling, drawing us in slowly but effectively. Then the shot changes and the music kicks into action and Richard is seen walking through a small but busy street where a person asks him to try drinking snake blood – which he accepts. The narration keeps going and the title credits appear ominously at the side of the screen. Even within these so few minutes we’ve gained such an insight into the kind of character we will be sitting with for the next two hours, while at the same time not too much about what’s actually going to happen, just enough to keep our interest peeked. 

I loved Leonardo DiCaprio’s narrating throughout the film actually. Richard’s way of thinking was something which intrigued me, so to get occasional insights into this was good. I always like Leonardo DiCaprio’s narrating in his movies anyway, more so than any other actor. Richard’s character is a little hot-headed and can frankly be a bit of an ass, which Leonardo plays really well!! The character does develop/change as the film goes on...not necessarily for the better...but there is a distinct change. Though I haven’t read the book, from what I can gather, I’d say his character in the book is a slightly nicer person than he is in the film. He’s a drifter..sort of meandering through life and enjoying whatever comes his way, though occasionally careless in his decisions which have consequences.

Robert Carlyle is also in this movie. He plays Daffy, a slightly eccentric fellow. He wasn’t my favourite character. But there were others within the community on the beach which were quite funny and very distinct. I liked Zeaty’s character, he was obsessed with cricket. And there was another one obsessed with cleanliness which involved some funny lines. Sal’s character was a character I did not care for at all. But I don’t think you were supposed to anyway. I always feel very sorry for Éitienne whenever I watch this film. He really seems to get the bad end of the stick.

I like the soundtrack of this movie actually as well.

The film was filmed in Maya Bay on Phi Phi Leh Island in the Krabi Province of Thailand. There are some really beautiful shots in this movie. It is a beautiful place. The cinematography is great.

Yes...I like this movie, but I could see how it might not be to everyone’s taste...It’s not necessarily one of the best of Leonardo DiCaprio’s movies just simply because of the plot’s gradual disintegration, but it’s not a bad movie either so I would still say it’s worth a viewing if you’re wondering what to watch sometime. 

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