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The Warrior (2005)
Runtime: 88 mins
Synopsis: Named the Best British Film at the 2003 British Academy of Film and Television Awards, THE WARRIOR is a poignant look at the choices people are forced to make in order to survive. Irfan Khan is unforgettable as Lafcadia, a man who works as an executioner for a heartless warlord (Anupam Shyam).... Named the Best British Film at the 2003 British Academy of Film and Television Awards, THE WARRIOR is a poignant look at the choices people are forced to make in order to survive. Irfan Khan is unforgettable as Lafcadia, a man who works as an executioner for a heartless warlord (Anupam Shyam). When a poor village is unable to pay him tribute, the warlord orders an old man to be instantly executed and the village burned and pillaged. For the first time, Lafcadia shows hesitation in carrying out his duties, and after a young girl (Sunita Sharma) shows him mystical snow-covered mountains, he considers running away with his young son (Puru Chhibber). But as he puts down his sword and seeks a peaceful, quiet life, his men (led by the stellar Aino Annuddin) are ordered to bring back his head, leading to horrific loss and a thrilling chase scene through the desert landscape of Rajasthan in India (known as the Land of Death). Part swordfighting epic, part spiritual quest, THE WARRIOR is an Eastern Western reminiscent of the films of Akira Kurosawa and Sergio Leone. Lafcadia's search for inner peace represents the conflicts that tear through the souls of all men and women, a universal desire for the beauty and simplicity of life. [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Puru Chhibber, Anupam Shyam, Aino Annuddin, Manoj Mishra
Screenwriter: Tim Miller, Asif Kapadia
Producer: Bertrand Faivre
Composer: Dario Marianelli
DVD Info
Release:
Feb 5, 2006
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Widescreen - 2.35
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - Hindi
- Subtitles - English, Spanish
Additional Release Material:
- Commentary - Asif Kapadia - Director
- Deleted Scenes With Commentary By Director Asif Kapadia
- Featurette - The Making Of THE WARRIOR
Reviews
The leading man has a sorrowful and introspective expression throughout the picture, but it seems like more... it seems like language.
Although the plot is over-simplistic, Kapadia sucks us into his exotic world using cinematic magic.
Its deadly pacing and almost word-free screenplay make it seem like a very long slog indeed.
A starkly beautiful and poignant film of evil, family, transformation and redemption set in ancient India.
Considering that this is a film set in feudal India of an indefinite era, the film should be surprisingly thoughtful and engaging for American audience.
Director Asif Kapadia mixes suggestions of violence (mostly off-screen) with sumptuous cinematography and a touch of the mystical.
A sublime rarity, with its renegade warrior's inner struggle reflecting our wayward society's quest to rediscover its lost soul.
If subtitles turn you off of foreign movies, you won't have much of a problem with this one. Most of the film is carried by Khan's expressive face.
It's little more than a spaghetti western (which here might be called a chapati western), that elevates itself by not sticking entirely with its revenge intended theme.


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