City of Joy (1992)

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

An good-hearted and inspiring film. Those with a taste for gritty film-noirs won't like it. Swayze is bit too picture-perfect, and the characters maybe 2-D, but I don't mind. I love Joffe's themes of redemption, self-sacrifice, and compassion in midst of a world of hate and cruelty. Be leery of critics who are too harsh on this movie. I especially love the portrayal of the Indian people. I gave it a 10 because I didn't like the fact that the IMDb average is weighted at 5.8. Some people have their own agenda: maybe they don't like Swayze, don't like Joffe, whatever. Don't trust these ratings and evaluate the movie according to your own values.Is the story a moral tale about personal redemption? Is it about class struggles and therefore a political drama? For some, there may be an issue with incoherence. (I found that to be the case for the Killing Fields). I personally like who Joffe blends these subplots and themes, making a human drama that is relevant to the individual and society at the same time.

City of Joy is the story of an American Doctor (Patrick Swayze) who runs away from his life and unwittingly lands himself in an entirely different place. Through various actions he ends up helping a woman (Pauline Collins) who tries to help the very poor of Calcutta on a day-to-day basis. City of Joy also contains a story of a farmer (Om Puri) who has lost his farm to the "money lenders" and brings his family to Calcutta to find work so that he can support his family. How all these lives interact is interesting. The poverty and oppression is devastating to see - but worth watching. The story touches your heart and holds your interest throughout the movie.Patrick Swayze is wonderful in this movie! He is expansive and portrays all of his emotions - anger, frustration, love of friends and joy poignantly! Dirty Dancing, Ghost and City of Joy should have mad Patrick Swayze a serious leading man in the category of Harrison Ford. In later movies you can see his emotions but it is as if the are locked inside his handsome clenched jaws. Nevertheless, Patrick Swayze is a handsome accomplished actor and this film is well worth the watch!

Patrick Swayze,unusually for a Westerner, melts into Calcutta quite easily. Typically Westerners act like they are away from home when they act in Indian films. Patrick Swayze goes with the rhythm from the first beat in this wonderful movie. The end when the camera sweeps over Calcutta in the early morning light, is so beautiful a moment you almost weep. The acting and teamwork between Om Puri and Patrick are first rate. Patrick Swayze has a creativity that allows him to be at home in almost any setting. This is why he is one of my very favorite actors. Om Puri is known in both Hollywood and outside of it as the best actor in the whole world. Realistically, a rickshaw driver would not have Om's hearty build, but be much more shriveled looking. The prostitute getting slashed across her mouth is realistic, unfortunately. Well known Shabana Azmi shows her acting talent as usual.

If there were a movie to root for, it would be "City Of Joy," unfortunately it turns out the writing couldn't measure up to the performances. I had to question Patrick Swayze's motivation for taking part in this film. I agree that on the face "City Of Joy" was a good movie, but we all know that books cannot be judged by its cover. This was a film that was really hard to get through because it went nowhere fast. I expected to see more out of this film and by the time I was satisfied with the film it was too late. For what the premise was, "City Of Joy" only worked in the later stages of the movie.If the director could have some way started earlier with Patrick Swayze's character caring, it could have worked. The only thing I found that was interesting was the devastation of the living conditions of the citizens had to live in: I thought the director did a good job of showing that.