After 35 years in prison, a mountain bandit goes to Istanbul to find the man who betrayed him and stole his lady. Nothing much new here, dredging up a lot of the usual gangster/revenge/fish out of water motifs, but it does a decent job of pulling you in and manages a certain freshness despite the familiarity of the material. Some of the larger dramatic scenes are painfully clichéd, but it's pieced together nicely and has some pretty good character moments. I get the feeling Turgul is a more talented director than a writer. Sener Sem (who I just realized was also in that lousy "Rascals" movie I recently watched) is a likable fellow, and his rapport with Ugur Yucel works well. Overall it's a somewhat mediocre film, but quite watchable with flashes of potential.

After thirty five years of porridge a Turkish felon is freed with the aim of forfeiting you two hours of your precious existence, while in the meantime, you discover what must be a typo at IMDb that places this in its top 250 of all time - whereas it would be more at home in the slightly lower echelons - cultural differences perhaps.

Baran the Bandit is released from prison after 35 years. He and his gang ranged the Cudi mountain in eastern Turkey. He returns to find his village under water after the construction of a dam. His world has been scattered to the winds. He is told that his former mate Berfo had masterminded his downfall to steal the love of his life, Keje. Berfo has since ruthlessly become a powerful criminal business leader. Baran befriends young low-level gangster Cumali who is enamored with his old style criminal stories.

This is a Turkish film. It's part buddy crime movie and part poignant love story. The only drawback is Şener Şen in the sense that I want him to be more compelling. He's like a grandfather in his pajamas and a coat. There is value in looking ordinary but I really want him to be in bad-ass style. It's nitpicking a minor point. The story is great and the characters are terrific. It's great.