Wordiezett So much average

Micitype Pretty Good

MamaGravity good back-story, and good acting

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

MartinHafer When the film began, I noticed right away something that surely must have upset many Pakistanis when the film debuted...the man playing Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the Father of their country, was played by the very English Christopher Lee! While Ben Kingsly was part Indian by heritage (and he played the lead in "Gandhi"), Lee was too tall and English...in a movie that is essentially anti-English! Now as far as the film goes, it is VERY unusual in style as it bounces about sequentially. Using a very strange plot device, the dead Jinnah is asked to do a post-mortem on his life by a guy who you must assume is some sort of heavenly messenger. As such, Jinnah's life is discussed and highlights of his career are mentioned. But, given how important he was and what a long life he had, it all felt very episodic to me and easily could have been a mini-series. So, despite nice production values and a nice film, it seems superficial and incomplete. Good but just too much for one movie to encapsulate.

jonathan-637 Filmed in Pakistan, this film suffers from the same censorship as "Gandhi" the director had to submit each reel as it was filmed for approval of the Indian Government.I presume "Jinnah" suffered the same fate as he is considered a hero in Pakistan. Gandhi did not want India to be divided along religious lines, Jinnah was pressured by various Muslim groups for a separate homeland.This film is biased in favour of Pakistan and grim scenes of massacres are highlighted as the work of Hindus and Sikhs no mention of the destruction of Lahore's tolerant society by the Muslim League.As Mountbatten said " If I had known Jinnah was dying of tuberculosis I would have delayed Independence for a further six months and left an undivided India".Jinnah was no Muslim separatist in fact the entire opposite, this is not brought out in this film.He comes across as a visionary leader of a new nation, not as an urban sophisticated lawyer from London who had no interest in religion.All in all a very disappointing film which was never on general release.

Shai_K 'Jinnah' is probably the best movie to come out of Pakistan. Yet, it leaves much to be desired. The Hell-Heaven portion was best avoided. And the movie, instead of giving an unbiased account of Jinnah's life, ends up being a decree on the lives of some of his political contemporaries. At best the movie is an attempt to show Jinnah as a man wronged by the Western media, and Gandhi and the others wrongly depicted as martyrs. A more positive approach would have the movie good. Also, the unverifiable bedroom scenes between Nehru and Lady Mountbatten do little to establish the credibility of this movie. The acting is brilliant, though. Christopher Lee does justice to his part. And so does the younger Jinnah. But, it's funny how a then 44 year old man (in 1920) looks no older than 30. Shashi Kapoor is positively irritating, and no more than an unnecessary comic element in an otherwise serious movie. The makers have done a commendable job in inculcating all aspects of Jinnah's life - personal, political, and professional (as an extremely successful lawyer). All in all, 'Jinnah' suffers from the pretentious bravado of its makers, and what could have been a fascinating tale into the man's life, ends up becoming a bit of a farce.

iamframed Well, like the monk who met the Mongols I feel that I should state the good points first.If you are looking for a "no warts and all" piece of propaganda this is the film for you. From the "day-time soap opera" soft cell focus to Jinnah's public repudiation of alcohol, this film never shies away from its slanted and one-sided view of events.One could say many things. For example: that Jinnah famously loved Whisky. The only reference to him not drinking from his sisters book "My Brother." One could also point out while people like Gandhi spent many years in prison, Jinnah did not spend one day. Or the fact that the idea of Pakistan was formed in, of all places Southampton England! This is not the point. For a work of propaganda can be a great work of art. One only needs to see the work of Sergei Eisenstein to see than bias does not always result in detritus. But I think even its director would not accuse Jinnah of being a "The Battleship Potemkin." So the film states in Heaven's Ante-room to decide on whether Jinnah goes to Heaven or Hell. The film then attempts to acquit Jinnah of all accusations except that of being a great man.It proceeds to parody and slander anyone who disagreed with the formation of Pakistan, form Mountbatten to Jinnah's own daughter. No prisoners taken in this film.It also seeks to address many of Jinnah inadequacies. Often described as a charm-less and unfeeling man, it shows him crying at the death of his wife. A very sad scene as this is done laughably badly.In a final and surreal twist Jinnah puts on trail various members of the British Establishment for conniving against Pakistan. I couldn't help feeling at this point that the director had run out of plot but still had a few propaganda points to get across. However the points raised referred to such unfathomable minutiae that it lost all relevance; referring to various garrisons not being given to Pakistan and some British commander not following Jinnah's order. Although what consequence any of this had is not make clear.Jinnah then goes forward in time to team up with Nehru in Gandhi in the future like some bad episode of X-Men. Here they review footage of the demolition of Babri Mosque in 1993 which resulted in approximately 800 death.In Jinnah this justified the creation of Pakistan. But what of the small matter of the three million dead in Bangladesh killed by Pakistani troop 1970-1972? This is biggest post-war genocide in the world. Committed by Muslims on Muslims. By one half of Pakistan on another half. However the director does not feel this small matter is worth a mention.The disaster of this film is that Jinnah is a very interesting man. Though an orchestrated 13 year campaign sowed division amongst people that had peacefully co-habituates for hundreds of years. A man who created a country at who's inception one million people died. A country now at the centre of world terrorism.With very little collateral, to force the second most powerful country in the world at that time (United Kingdom), to secede to his wishes. To create a movement out of nothing. To create a country a country with no historical or cultural precedent. To create a country unique in the world...a country only for Muslim. And yet made this country secular and not Islamic.In short a man who had influence over more people in 20th century than anyone except Mao and Gandhi. And what made this man tick. After watching this film I have no idea.