Bandit Queen is a raw film highlighted by star Seema Biswas though from my reading, the accuracy of the picture is questionable so for those like me, you should go in with some skepticism. That being said, it’s a decent film worth a watch especially if the subject matter interests you.
Bandit
(1994)
REVIEW NAVIGATION
The Movie | Special Features | Video Quality | Audio Quality | Overall
Genre(s): Drama
Twilight Time | NR – 119 min. – $24.95 | January 20, 2015
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MOVIE INFO: Directed by: Shekhar Kapur Writer(s): Ranjit Kapoor, Mala Sen (written by) Cast: Seema Biswas, Nirmal Panday, Manoj Bajpai, Rajesh Vivek, Govind Namdeo, Saurabh Shukla, Raghuvir Yadav DISC INFO: Audio: Hindi (DTS-HD MA 2.0) |
PLOT SUMMARY
Director Shekhar Kapur brings us the horrifying real-life story of Phoolan Devi (SEEMA BISWAS): born a lower-caste girl in rural India’s patriarchal society, “married” at 11, repeatedly raped and brutalized, she finds her freedom only as an avenging warrior, the eponymous Bandit Queen. Devi becomes a kind of bloody Robin Hood; this extraordinary biographical film offers both a vivid portrait of a driven woman and a savage critique of the society that made her.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 1.5/5
Outside of a 6-page essay booklet, the only other feature is a Commentary with director Shekhar Kapur as he recounts his time filming and working with the cast. It’s a very clinical commentary, however, so you better be interested in the subject matter.
VIDEO – 3.75/5
Bandit Queen comes to Blu-ray through Twilight Time and although it’s not the prettiest looking picture, given what I assume was a modest budget in India, detail levels on this 1080p high-definition transfer look sharp enough. Colors are a bit muted but in keeping with the environment and I didn’t notice any major instances of specs, scratches or other flaws.
AUDIO – 4.0/5
The 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio track provided sounds decent enough with good dialogue levels but there are limits where the depth is minor while the bulk of the audio is made up from the score/soundtrack by Nusrat Fater, Ali Khan and Roger White.
OVERALL – 3.0/5
Overall, Bandit Queen is a raw film highlighted by star Seema Biswas though from my reading, the accuracy of the picture is questionable so for those like me, you should go in with some skepticism. That being said, it’s a decent film worth a watch especially if the subject matter interests you.
Published: 01/24/2015
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.