MICHAEL DWYERand DONALD CLARKEreview this week's DVD releases

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE *****
Directed by Danny Boyle. Starring Dev Patel, Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Freida Pinto 15 cert

The winner of eight Oscars, including best picture, Boyle's exhilarating movie features Patel as a Mumbai teen who is just one question away from winning the jackpot on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?Flashbacks illustrate his upbringing on the streets in this hard-edged, vibrant and affecting drama, assembled with social concern, emotional depth and an infectious energy. DVD extras include deleted scenes and commentaries by Boyle and Patel. MICHAEL DWYER

FAR NORTH ****
Directed by Asif Kapadia. Starring Michelle Yeoh, Sean Bean 15 cert

Kapadia returns to the epic folk cinema of his debut, The Warrior. Set among the vastness of northern Scandinavia, it takes a tale by Sara Maitland – cursed nomad Yeoh and her daughter nurse Bean's injured soldier – and turns it into a film that is both magnificent and preposterous. Unique. DONALD CLARKE