This is an epic tale, in the Indian desert, of a warrior's search to change his life and to find peace. Lafcadia is the head of a band of warriors employed by a lord who rules from his Red Fort. In the midst of the slaughter of a village, Lafcadia has a mystical encounter with a young girl. He drops his sword and vows never to kill again. Lafcadia attempts to escape with his young son Katiba. The lord orders the warriors to bring back Lafcadia's head. They capture Katiba who dies protecting his
father. Lafcadia, a broken man, sets off into the wilderness pursued by the warriors. On his journey he meets Riaz, a young street kid and an old blind woman on a pilgrimage to a Holy River. In the mountains, Lafcadia eventually comes face to face with the warriors, and is forced to confront his past in order to reach his goal.
It is hardly the most original story, but Kapadia, the British-born son of Indian immigrants, infuses it so much with stately resonance and spiritual reverence, that it never seems remotely shopworn, much less laborious.
If you can forgive its lapses in storytelling and character development, then Kapadia's 2001 feature filmmaking debut delivers, at minimum, an impressive visual account of a worthwhile spiritual journey.
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.
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.
A warrior acting as an enforcer for a local warlord becomes sick of killing and leaves on a pilgrimage to his birthplace, but death seems to follow wherever he goes. I haven't had much exposure to Indian films, Bollywood being the main staple of British TV on the rare occasions it widens its horizons and being a hater
of musicals it it has never tempted me. Being a Channel 4 production, it could be argued that I still haven't, and that The Warrior is another example of foreign cultures homogenized to suit the palate of Western audiences. Being part of that western audience, i think it would be a little hypocritical of me to comment. All I can say is I found this film to be a simple but beautiful looking, artful story of atonement and redemption, surely themes that transcend individual cultures. I'm sure there were many cultural references that went over my head, but Irfan Khan has one of those incredibly expressive faces and intense eyes that seem to be able to reflect a lifetime of pain and loss with just a glance. Lacking any other reference point, I'd have to say it shared stylistic elements with the likes of Kurosawa and Leone. Although it is a little lacking in content it is artful in the sense that it's more than the sum of its parts; it's a simple tale but it somehow manages to plug directly into the emotions. Maybe not the kind of film to be enjoyed again and again, it is certainly worth seeing at least once.
September 7, 2007
xGary Xx
Super Reviewer
Using the rugged desert landscape of Rajasthan like a character in the film and capturing stunningly beautiful images, The Warrior is a very visual spectacle which tells the story in a very focused and confident way. Irfan Khan is outstanding in the lead and I would enjoy seeing him again in Slumdog Millionaire.With a
title like this, you'd expect a grisly, gruesome epic. But no, this is a small, intimate drama about trying to change one's life while trying to reject the strong internal drive for vengeance.
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