Well before establishing himself a leading voice in documentary with Senna and Amy, director Asif Kapadia had already announced himself with this sweeping mythical adventure story about a lone Indian warrior who renounces his violent past only to become the prey in a murderous hunt through the Himalayan mountains.

In feudal India, Lafcadia is the leader of a group of warriors hired by a local lord to enforce his rule among the people. When he is ordered to punish a village that has failed to pay tribute, Lafcadia renounces his violent ways and sets off on a journey to the mountain village in which he was born. But leaving isn't as easy as he had hoped, and having broken a bond of blood the sadistic lord dispatches Biswas, Lafcadia's second-in-command, to pursue him through the Himalayan mountains and punish his betrayal with death.

Irfan Khan brings a quiet, powerful presence of haunting intensity to the role the Indian "samurai" (seemingly a homage to Kurosawa) and the stunning images of Kapadia's first film certainly sear themselves in the mind. A mystical odyssey which uses few words, Kapadia’s debut is seen now as something of a landmark that announced his introduction as major new talent in British filmmaking.

---