''The Bandit'' ( tr, Eşkıya) is a 1996

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

film written and directed by

Yavuz Turgul Yavuz Turgul is a Turkish film director and screenwriter, known for his box-office hit ''The Bandit (1996 film), The Bandit'' (1996). Early life and education Yavuz Turgul graduated from the Istanbul University Institute of Journalism and wor ...

and starring

Şener Şen Şener Şen (born 26 December 1941) is a Turkish film and theatre actor who has won the Golden Orange for Best Actor twice for his roles in '' Mr. Muhsin'' (1985) and '' Lovelorn'' (2005), the Golden Orange for Best Supporting Actor for '' Çö ...

and

Uğur Yücel Uğur Yücel (born 26 May 1957) is a Turkish film actor, producer and director. He graduated from the Theater Department of the Istanbul Municipality Conservatory (İstanbul Belediye Konservatuarı Tiyatro Bölümü). He took part in several pl ...

. According to the director the film, which is about a bandit who comes to Istanbul after serving a 35-year jail sentence, "blends fairy tale elements while carrying the notion of reality within a fictional story." The film is highly popular in Turkey, where it drew in 2½ million viewers and in Germany where it won a

Bogey Award The Bogey Award (officially Box Office Germany Award) is a Germany, German film List of film awards, award. It's based on the number of people seeing a film within a given time frame. The prize has been awarded by the Cinema of Germany, industry's ...

. The film is exclusively regarded as the savior and the turning point of Turkish cinema which was desperately struggling against foreign films since the 1980s and having difficulty attracting domestic audiences. It was Turkey's official entry for the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

at the 70th Academy Awards.Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Plot

After serving a 35-year jail sentence, Baran (played by

), an ''eşkıya'' (a bandit, a

haydut A hajduk ( hu, hajdúk, plural of ) is a type of irregular infantry found in Central and parts of Southeast Europe from the late 16th to mid 19th centuries. They have reputations ranging from bandits to freedom fighters depending on time, p ...

), is released from prison in a town in Eastern

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

. When returning to the home village he witness the fact that the world has changed dramatically during those years, with the village itself underwater after the construction of a dam. Then he also finds out that the person who masterminded the betrayal that brought him to jail was Berfo ( Kamuran Usluer), a friend who had once been closer to him than a brother. In order to snare Keje ( Sermin Şen), Baran's sweetheart, Berfo seized his best friend's gold and had Baran arrested by the gendarmes on Mountain Cudi. Then Berfo purchased Keje from her father against her will, and disappeared. According to rumor, he is in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

. While traveling to Istanbul by train, Baran meets Cumali (

), a young man. Cumali was raised in the alleys of

Beyoğlu Beyoğlu (, ota, بك‌اوغلی, script=Arab) is a district on the European side of İstanbul, Turkey, separated from the old city (historic peninsula of Constantinople) by the Golden Horn. It was known as the region of Pera (Πέρα, meani ...

, his life revolving around bars, gambling joints, alcohol, dope and women. Cumali dreams of joining the mafia and making it big. He takes Baran to a dilapidated hotel in the backstreets of Beyoğlu. After a while, Cumali and his friends discover that Baran used to be a bandit, but they can't take it seriously. Cumali's dreams of a new life include Emel (

Yeşim Salkım Yeşim Salkım (born 12 April 1968) is a Turkish singer and actress. Her paternal family is of Albanian descent. Discography ;Albums * ''Hiç Keyfim Yok'' (1994) * ''Ferman'' (1995) * ''Yoktan Geliyorum'' (1997) * ''Hep Böyle Kal'' (2000) * ' ...

), his girlfriend. Emel has a convict brother, Sedat ( Özkan Uğur), who is in trouble with the other prisoners in his jail. His life is in danger, and he needs a high amount of money to get out. Cumali promises Emel to get the money for her brother as soon as possible. Thus, when he deals with a transport of drugs for the mafia, he steals a quantity, enough to secure the escaping of Sedat and also later to get him in trouble with Demircan (

Melih Çardak Melih is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Melih Abdulhayoğlu (born 1968), Turkish-American entrepreneur * Melih Mahmutoğlu, Turkish basketball player *Melih Cevdet Anday (1915–2002), Turkish poet and writer * Melih Esenbe ...

), the mafia boss. Meanwhile, the bandit is going through Istanbul in a daze, lost in a totally alien world, with no idea where to start looking for the woman he loves and the mortal enemy who has stolen her. After some days he happens to see Berfo on TV, now as a powerful businessman with the name changed.

Cast

as Baran *

as Cumali * Sermin Şen as Keje *

as Emel *

Kamran Usluer Kamran Usluer (1937 – 26 July 2004) was a Turkish film actor. He appeared in more than fifty films from 1966 to 2004. Selected filmography References External links * 1937 births 2004 deaths Actors from İzmir Turkish male fi ...

as Berfo *

Ülkü Duru Ülkü (literally: "ideal") is a Turkish surname and a unisex given name and may refer to: ;Given name * Ülkü Adatepe (1932–2012), youngest adopted daughter of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk * Ülkü Azrak (1933–2020), Turkish lawyer * Ülkü Tame ...

as Emel's mother * Özkan Uğur as Sedat *

Necdet Mahfi Ayral Necdet Mahfi Ayral (August 6, 1908 in Istanbul – June 6, 2004 in Istanbul) was a well-known Turkish stage and cinema actor, as well as theatre director.

as Andref Miskin *

Kayhan Yıldızoğlu ''Kayhan'' ( fa, کيهان, '' en, The Cosmos'') is a newspaper published in Tehran, Iran. It is considered "the most conservative Iranian newspaper." Hossein Shariatmadari is the editor-in-chief of ''Kayhan''. According to the report of the '' ...

as Artist Kemal *

Güven Hokna Güven Hokna (born January 24, 1946) is a Turkish actress. Hokna graduated from the Ankara State Conservatory in 1967. In 1990, she presented a program for children, titled ''Susam Sokağı'' (Sesam Street), and worked in theater, film, and provi ...

as Sevim *

Kemal İnci Kemal may refer to: ;People * Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, a Turkish politician and the first president of Turkey * Kemal (name), a common Turkish name ;Places * Kemalpaşa, İzmir Province, Turkey * Mustafakemalpaşa, Bursa Province, Turkey ;See also ...

as Mustafa *

as Demircan *

Settar Tanrıöğen Settar Tanrıöğen (born 15 July 1962) is a Turkish actor. Selected filmography Film Television References External links * 1962 births Living people Turkish male film actors Turkish male television actors People from Denizli

as Girl Naci * Celal Perk as Deli Selim *

Ümit Çırak Ümit is a unisex Turkish given name and occasional surname, meaning “hope”, originated from the Persian name, Omid. Notable people with the name include: Given name * Ümit Aydın (born 1980), Turkish footballer * Ümit Haluk Bayülken (192 ...

as Cimbom

Reception

Reviews

Sandra Brennan, writing on ''

Allmovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was founded by popular-cult ...

'', describes it as a, "lightning-paced, romantic actioner," but ultimately gave the movie only two out of a possible five stars, whilst

Rekin Teksoy Rekin Teksoy (1928 – May 30, 2012) was a Turkish lawyer, author and translator. Career Teksoy taught courses in Istanbul University’s Communications Faculty on ''Art of Cinema'' and ''Cinema and Literature Relations'' for over twenty years. ...

, writing in ''Turkish Cinema'', states, "Turgul's narrative imbued with sorrow weaves in elements of American action films and television clips," "pays great attention to detail," and, "relies on the tradition of legends found in eastern literature."

Awards

*1997 Bogey Awards (Won) *1998

Festróia - Tróia International Film Festival The Tróia International Film Festival, commonly referred to as Festroia ( pt, Festival Internacional de Cinema de Tróia – Festróia) was an annual international film festival in Portugal held from 1985 to 2014. Held in the town of Setúbal and ...

Gold Dolphin:

(Won)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bandit, The 1996 films 1996 crime drama films 1990s crime action films Turkish crime action films Turkish crime drama films 1990s Turkish-language films Films set in Istanbul Films set in Turkey Films about organized crime in Turkey Turkish films about revenge