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Movies / On DVD / Bandit Queen
Bandit Queen

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Bandit Queen (1994)

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Reviews Counted:24

Fresh:24

Rotten:0

Average Rating:7.5/10

Rated: 18

Runtime: 1 hr 59 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Theatrical Release:25-04-2008

Synopsis: Directed by Shekhar Kapur (ELIZABETH), this is a controversial movie based on the life of Phoolan Devi, India's notorious woman dacoit (bandit), who channeled her rage at her rape and mistreatment... Directed by Shekhar Kapur (ELIZABETH), this is a controversial movie based on the life of Phoolan Devi, India's notorious woman dacoit (bandit), who channeled her rage at her rape and mistreatment into violent action. Imprisoned in 1983 and freed in 1994, she eventually became a prominent politician and was assassinated by relatives of one of her victims. The controversy surrounding the film stems from the real Devi's fury over the way the formative events of her youth are depicted, and also from Kapur's refusal to meet with his subject, all the while proclaiming the "truth" of his narrative. Subjected to considerable scrutiny and potentially flawed, BANDIT QUEEN is nonetheless an excellent film. Music lovers will be fascinated by the score, composed by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the renowned singer. [More]

Starring: Seema Biswas, Nirmal Pandey

Starring: Seema Biswas, Nirmal Pandey

Director: Shekhar Kapur

Director: Shekhar Kapur
Screenwriter: Mala Sen
Composer: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Producer: Sundeep S. Bedi

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Bandit Queen

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
10/18/08
Cath Clarke
Cath Clarke
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

In comparison with most of the Indian cinema that breaks through to the Western mainstream, Bandit Queen stands out for its political attitude and willingness to take on Hollywood sensibilities in its storytelling.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
04/25/08
Jim Hall
Jim Hall
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Russell Brand is, for once, well cast in the role of vague, vain singer Aldous, who's also the object of obsession for a waiter and aspiring musician in the Hawaiian resort.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/25/08
Anna Smith
Anna Smith
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The numerous, unflinchingly filmed scenes of public and gang rape make this a visceral, if gruelling, experience, especially when juxtaposed with sprawling, beautifully photographed vistas of the Indian deserts and mountain ranges.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
David Jenkins
David Jenkins
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
07/22/08
Derek Elley
Derek Elley
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Lavishly directed as an historical biopic by Shekhar Kapur.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
06/12/08
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

No review available.

comment Comment
05/01/08
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

No review available.

comment Comment
06/30/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

comment Comment
06/01/05
Michael Szymanski
Michael Szymanski
International Press Academy

Seema Biswas' lock on our fascination and sympathies is unreleasable, making for a most powerful film from India.

Full Review Source: Cinema Signals | comment Comment
12/30/04
Jules Brenner
Jules Brenner
Cinema Signals
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/20/03
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
10/21/02
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
03/14/02
Washington Post

Although the "Bandit Queen" is a film loaded with violence and hatred, it is also an affirmation of the durability of the human spirit.

Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment Comment
02/27/02
Robert Roten
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope

An astonishing, overpowering piece of rabble-rousing, consciousness-raising, epic-scale filmmaking.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
02/13/01
Kevin Thomas
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It is representative of a thousand other real-life stories -- albeit not as spectacular as the Devi saga -- which have emerged in the news from India in the past decade.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bruce Kirkland
Bruce Kirkland
Jam! Movies

To watch the film -- directed with eye-opening vigor by Shekhar Kapur -- is to vicariously experience the social horrors of India's patriarchal system.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post

Devi is played by Seema Biswas as a fireball of unrelenting, white-hot fury -- a slap in the face to her country and its barbaric, outdated treatment of women.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Edward Guthmann
Edward Guthmann
San Francisco Chronicle

An excellent examination of caste discrimination, human suffering, and the role of women in India's changing culture.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

At the center of the movie are two fine actresses who make Phoolan's unsettled character seem inevitable.

comment Comment
01/01/00
John Hartl
John Hartl
Film.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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