ACTORS' PERFORMANCES KEY TO KEEPING 'THE KITE RUNNER' ALOFT.

Byline: BOB STRAUSS

>FILM CRITIC

The movie adaptation of Khaled Hosseini's much- loved best-seller "The Kite Runner" does decent, if sometimes ham-fisted, service to the novel's troubled characters, surefire themes and evocation of the tragic fate of Afghanistan over the last 20 years.

Marc Forster directed in a tone that registers somewhere between his hard-hitting "Monster's Ball" and sentimental "Finding Neverland" modes. David Benioff wrote the screenplay, and it's not nearly as embarrassing as what he did with "Troy."

In its Asian sections -- filmed in Western China -- the film feels a little constricted at times, though there are lots of shots of kids running through the twisting streets of pre- Soviet-occupation Kabul. Most of what's going on in that complex society is rendered through expository living-room dialogue. Despite that, Afghanistan's ethnic prejudices and class distinctions are fascinatingly delineated. And, later, life in the demolished country under the brutal Taliban regime is efficiently illustrated, although a climactic confrontation between a good Westernized emigrant and evil pervert is both simplistically melodramatic and too hokey to be suspenseful.

"Kite's" most considerable triumph is its cast. A mix of professional and amateur Afghans and actors of Muslim heritage from around the world, the ensemble meshes persuasively while each individual's issues and attitudes emerge with relatable clarity. Remarkably, the bulk of the movie is spoken in Dari, a tongue that many of the non-Afghan actors had to learn for the movie. I can't say how authentic their accents are, but the feeling in everyone's voice could not sound more convincing.

The story, for the few on Earth who may be unfamiliar with it, breaks down into three basic sections. In 1970s Kabul, privileged Amir (remarkable Afghan child Zekiria Ebrahimi) is expert at a game in which kite flyers vie to cut one another's strings but otherwise is an unassertive wimp. His best friend is the family servant's son Hassan (Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada, ditto on the remarkable front), who chases down the fallen kites Amir wins and fights for his pal's honor.

The latter gets Hassan in trouble with some neighborhood bullies, who mete out a terrible punishment that Amir secretly witnesses. It's the scene that forced the young actors and their families to leave Afghanistan before the movie's release. Some of that same cultural attitude, along with his own sense of impotent guilt, makes Amir turn on Hassan in an unforgivably cruel way.

Part two involves Amir, now played by the British actor Khalid Abdalla ("United 93"), coming of age in Northern California after escaping from the Russians with his tough-minded but loving father (Homayoun Ershadi, star of the great Iranian film "Taste of Cherry"). The movie enters "Namesake" territory as Amir becomes a writer, finds a bride and wrestles with the standard traditional vs. new world values choices.

In part three, Amir, who's hopefully developed some gumption over the years, returns to now-Taliban-controlled Afghanistan to make amends for past transgressions. This involves a rather hoary "surprise" revelation, and it's not the only one of those in the story.

Convenient coincidences also contribute to a sense of contrivance that would sink "The Kite Runner" if its performances weren't so uniformly great. But the actors, and the many cultural specifics the movie imparts, overcome the script's deficiencies. And yes, the kite-flying sequences look fantastic -- which is crucial and no small accomplishment.

Bob Strauss [phone]

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THE KITE RUNNER - Three stars

>PG-13: sex, violence, children in jeopardy, language, prejudice.

>Starring: Khalid Abdalla, Homayoun Ershadi, Zekiria Ebrahimi, Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada, Shaun Toub, Atossa Leoni, Abdul Salam Yusoufzai.

>Director: Marc Forster.

>Running time: 2 hr. 2 min.

>Playing: ArcLight, Sherman Oaks Galleria; ArcLight, Hollywood; The Grove, Farmers Market; Century 15, Century City.

>In a nutshell: The beloved Afghanistan novel loses something in its translation to the screen, though its performances of mixed amateur/professional actors are superb. In English and Dari with English subtitles.

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Zekiria Ebrahimi plays a young Amir in "The Kite Runner."