By Jae-Ha Kim
Amazon.com
May 13, 2006
A beautifully filmed tale set in feudal India, The Warrior tells the story of a man who must decide whether to follow the orders of his cruel boss or do the right thing and put his own life in danger. When Lafcadia realizes he can no longer kill innocent people whose only crime is being poor, he defies his warlord’s orders to annihilate a village that has been unable to pay its taxes.
Filmed in 2001 by director Asif Kapadia and presented by Anthony Minghella–who, like Quentin Tarantino, is fond of attaching his name to smaller films that may otherwise get overlooked–The Warrior manages to tell a violent story without depicting very much on-screen carnage.
Kapadia’s subtle direction shows that the viewer’s imagination often is more potent than anything Hollywood can dream up.
As the hunted warrior Lafcadia, Irfan Khan is a stoically heroic presence. We do not sympathize with what Lafcadia has done in the past, but we empathize with his trying to right his wrongs.
