Oliver Twist

Oliver Twist (2005)

Acclaimed director Roman Polanski (Rosemary's Baby) takes a stab at retelling a classic Dickens tale, with Ben Kingsley co-starring as Fagin, the notorious underground gang leader. As the story goes, a doe-eyed runaway orphan named Oliver Twist (Barney Clark) flees the confines of the factory walls to live among pickpockets and thieves. And, for the most part, what he finds is a surrogate family of people who actually care.

My Two Cents: Well done, but is to Dickens' classic what condensed Campbells is to mom's homemade soup: satisfactory but lacking.

NetFlix rank: Liked It
IMDB Rank: 8/10

(Note: based on the movies I've seen this year Kingsley is my most notable Oscar snub).