Seeing as how this movie is listed among IMDb's 'Top 250' films for the past number of years, it was one of the pictures I most definitely wanted to see. Try as I might, I was not able to locate an English subtitled copy of this movie, but wasn't going to let a little thing like a language barrier prevent me from watching what many consider one of Turkey's most influential films. After reading all the reviews posted here on IMDb to get a general understanding of what the movie was about, I headed on over to You Tube which had the complete film available for viewing. Although I'm sure I missed some of the story's nuance relative to the characters and dialog, I still came away impressed with what understanding I could take away from the picture. In a lot of ways, the movie resembled a 1950/1960's American gangster movie. Even though it was released in 1996 with a modern day Turkish ambiance, it had the feel of a much earlier time in the history of the country. I liked the way the principal character Baran was presented; actor Sener Sen captured the pathos of a former criminal bandit who had spent the last thirty five years in prison, only to be released to a modern world that he found difficult to cope with. His story is part revenge and part reconciliation with the woman he once loved, lost to a former best friend who severely betrayed him. The single concession made to Western style film making occurs near the end of the movie when Baran seeks a measure of revenge against those who wronged him with an uncharacteristically unending supply of ammunition. Conceding that there is probably more to the story than I was able to come away with due to lack of subtitles, I still found the movie to be compelling in it's way, garnering my full attention throughout. Should a subtitled or dubbed version of the movie come my way, I would definitely watch it again.

Turgut's "Eskiya," which came out almost a decade ago, is he perfect illustration of how unique Turkish cinema can be when it combines elements of Western crime genre films and Anatolian folk dramas, which have been the basis for Turkish films since Muhsin Ertugrul directed films some 75 years ago. The film has some major flaws, but these are mostly in terms of production. The script and its' direction are fairly crisp, and the acting by veteran comic Sener Sen, in a serious role here, and Ugur Yucel, who was also great in Ali Ozgenturk's "Balalayka," is quite exceptional. The film features a haunting score, deep symbolism (particularly in the final scenes) and timely social themes. I think the later is one of the reasons why it has not been popular with those who are more unfamiliar with Turkey, but it is this very element which makes the film more than just a routine gangster film. The film is also considerably more violent than most Turkish films, though many (particularly '70s films of the late Yilmaz Guney) made for brutal cinematic experiences. Another interesting aspect of this film is that it shows a crime family taking its' lifestyle from Anatolia into Istanbul, which reminded me of how Marlon Brando took up where he left off upon leaving Sicily for New York. "Eskiya/The Bandit" is not as exceptional as either "Yol" or "Uzak/Distant" but it is quite a moving film and I gather since it outgroosed "Titanic" in Turkey, it was quite the crowd-pleaser.The film was also made at a time when film production in Turkey was at an all-time low, but the industry has thankfully picked up considerably.

at the outset,I take pride in this movie because this movie is from Republic of Turkey.I think this movie explains nicely İstanbul and Turkish culture.For example,a lot of people thinks that Turkey is usual middle east country.However,Turkey is secular and cosmopolitan country.On the other hand,people should be careful for bandit's says because this words are certainly philosophical and witty.Some people examine the visual effects which are very bad and amateur.I agree with reviewers but never forget people should give more importance to scenario and operation as well as they should enjoy and learn İstanbul and Turkish culture.Both A Separation,The secret in their eyes and some Bollywood movies teach me a lot of culture so that people should appreciate the different movies which are outside Hollywood

...Turkish film sector made a great progress with "Eskiya". Following the footsteps, award winning films were shot. Eg. Faith Akin in Berlin. The film is also important as it took attraction from abroad. Ugur Yucel the leading actor of "Eskiya" is one of the most important players in Turkey. Also Sener SEN is the top leading artists of Turkey. He is very famous all over the country. This film is not the peak point of Sener SEN but he makes the film top rated in my opinion. ...Turkish film sector made a great progress with "Eskiya". Following the footsteps, award winning films were shot. Eg. Faith Akin in Berlin. The film is also important as it took attraction from abroad. Ugur Yucel the leading actor of "Eskiya" is one of the most important players in Turkey. Also Sener SEN is the top leading artists of Turkey. He is very famous all over the country. This film is not the peak point of Sener SEN but he makes the film top rated in my opinion.