"The Kite Runner" *** (out of four): Gently moving adaptation by Marc Forster takes off but never quite soars.

At his best ("Monster's Ball"), Marc Forster is not the most subtle director. At his worst ("Stay"), the term “ham-handed” comes to mind. With "The Kite Runner" - Mr. Forster’s gently moving adaptation of the best seller by Khaled Hosseini – the director strikes a happy balance between his over-the-top instincts (witness Alberto Iglesias' pushy score) and a respect for the material.

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