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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Terrorist, The
Phaedra Cinema


9.3

based on 15 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 3 votes
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MPAA RATING: Not rated

Starring Ayesha Dharkar, and Bhanu Prakash

Inspired by the events surrounding the Assassination of Indian prime minister Rajiv Ghandi, The Terrorist focuses on the making of a nineteen year old suicide bomber marching toward the end of her life. (Phaedra Cinema)

GENRE(S):	Suspense/Thriller
WRITTEN BY:	Ravi Deshpande Vijay Deveshwar Santosh Sivan (also story)
DIRECTED BY:	Santosh Sivan
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: December 5, 2000 Video: December 5, 2000 Theatrical: February 25, 2000
RUNNING TIME:	100 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	India
LANGUAGE(S):	Tamil (with English subtitles)

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

It's hard not to come away in awe of a director in complete control of every frame.

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

A wonder several times over.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

Its overall effect is haunting, hypnotic and moving in a profound and unexpected way.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

Extraordinarily poetic, suspenseful film.

The New York Times Dana Stevens

Sivan has accomplished something extraordinary: he has given political extremism a human face.

New York Post Jonathan Foreman

Visually gorgeous despite its low budget, The Terrorist is a haunting film.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

If you have ever wondered what kind of person volunteers to become a human bomb, and what they think about in the days before their death, this film wonders, too.

Mr. Showbiz Michael Atkinson

A remarkable debut, and its first half is a genuine jolt.

TV Guide Ken Fox

Taut psychological thriller.

LA Weekly Ella Taylor

A heartbreaking reminder of all the wars whose frontlines are currently held by the very young, wars that have robbed them not only of family and friends, but of their childhoods as well.

Village Voice J. Hoberman

The movie's bold visual and psychological patterns, as well as its heavy immersion in the natural world, imbue Malli's journey with a folktale quality.

Film.com Robert Horton

When it counts, this film is absolutely successful.

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

Breathtakingly gorgeous but ultimately thematically unsatisfying.

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

The ideological reasons for the heroine's project aren't divulged, so I guess we're supposed to be fascinated simply by the fanaticism of her will, doubts and all. I wasn't.

San Francisco Examiner G. Alllen Johnson

The best-looking bad movie in years.

The average user rating for this movie is 9.3 (out of 10) based on 3 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Nadja S. gave it a 10:
One of the best films I have ever seen, which is trying to find the answer to what is sense of life ... and finally finds it.

Paula W. gave it an 8:
Nineteen-year-old Malli is being groomed by a separatist group for a suicide mission. As she travels to the site and trains for her assignment, Malli makes a discovery that leads her to question her commitment. To be honest, this film is longer on visual riches than thematic depth. The shower/rain scenes start to get old after a while: not that they're exploitive, just that there is only so much that water imagery can mean. But don't let that stop you. The gorgeous visuals alone, featuring a lush, tropical side of India that is rarely seen in the West, are worth the price of your ticket. The film also conveys a great deal of emotion, which makes the terrorist strangely sympathetic. The bottom line for me was that I didn't know up until the last second whether or not Malli would go through with her plan. Many new releases can only hope for that kind of suspense.

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Terrorist, The Phaedra Cinema

Terrorist, The
Phaedra Cinema