In "Northwest Frontier," it is 1905 and a rebellion is starting in northern India. In the nick of time, Captain Scott(Kenneth More) spirits six-year old Prince Kishan(Govind Raja Ross), who is seen as the hope of his people, away towards Delhi with the help of his governess Mrs. Catherine Wyatt(Lauren Bacall). They
arrive in Haserabad just after the last train has left(I hate it when that happens). Getting out proves harder than getting in as a state of siege sets in. So, Scott orders Gupta(I.S. Johar) to ready an archaic train engine to try to break it.
"Northwest Frontier" is a rousing and suspenseful adventure film that starts in media res and only lets up for the occasional breath of air. Even with a familiar plot of disparate characters traveling together through dangerous territory, there is some intelligent conversation, even if the overall tone is not as enlightened as I would like. And somehow I just cannot buy Lauren Bacall trying to be demure.
June 21, 2010
