The Bandit

This leisurely action film spreads its tale of honour, corruption, solidarity and betrayal over a broad canvas. Sener Sen's ancient bandit, sole survivor of his gang after 35 years in jail, returns to a land that no longer remembers his legendary exploits. Back in the hill country, he finds his hunting grounds under a reservoir and his community vanished. He returns to Istanbul to seek out past accomplices - specifically best pal Mahmud, who, he learns, betrayed him all those years ago to win Keje (Sermin Sen), love of both their lives. The director mirrors the bandit's temporal and emotional displacement in his ironic uprooting of old genre codes, playfully transposing elements of mythic and American cinema into Turkey's contemporary urban reality. He films modern Istanbul like the location for a Western, and takes time out for wry and discursive asides. Warm, accessible and socially engaged.