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Release Date: July 15th, 2005 (NYC-Angelika Film Center), by Miramax Films. The Cast: Irfan Khan,Puru Chibber. Directed by Asif Kapadia. In Hindi with subtitles. BASIC PREMISE: A warrior (Khan) who has shun violence is forced back into fighting when he is hunted down by a bunch of other warriors. ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: The cinematography is very beautiful and consistently impressive throughout this film. The many desert scenes very effectively show the balance of nature and danger of the environment. The musical score is also quite good. Irfan Khan is decent as the titular warrior and it is very interesting to watch him change his way of thinking from beginning to end. However, there is very to entertain when it comes to plot development. Many scenes seem redundant and don't add much to the story. Surprisingly, much of the film is slow-paced. One scene when the warrior gradually climbs up a snowy mountain feels like it belongs in the film Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring, which is a far superior film about shunning violence. As for character development, there is not much there as well except for a somewhat interesting relationship between the warrior and his young son. There are a few violent scenes that are difficult to watch, such as a beheading, but the cinematography all of the other aesthetic qualities such as sound and costume design help to maintain realism. SPIRITUAL VALUE: The act of shunning violence is very thought-provoking, especially in such a society that has a lot of violence--which includes our society as well. There is one very moving scene when an old, blind prophet notices that the warrior's son is a violent person just by touching his face. The last scene of the film is very moving and even subtly uplifting. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring tackled the same themes with much more subtlety and intelligence. INSULT TO YOUR INTELLIGENCE: Redundant plot, broad character development and very little profound insights. NUMBER OF TIMES I CHECKED MY WATCH: 4 THE BOTTOM LINE: Beautiful cinematography, an effective musical score, and decent acting unfortunately do not amount to much. Fortunately, the film does not overstay its welcome at a running time of 86 minutes. Main Page Alphabetical Menu The "W" Menu ______________________________________________________ |
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