The Bandit

The Bandit

Year: 1996

Runtime: 128 mins

Language: Turkish

Director: Yavuz Turgul

DramaCrimeThrillerCrime drugs and gangstersViolent crime and drugs

After 35 years behind bars, Baran the Bandit is freed and immediately sets out to avenge the betrayal of his former best friend, who not only turned on him but also took his lover. Along the way he partners with a troubled young punk, whose own demons make the quest even more perilous.

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Timeline – The Bandit (1996)

Trace every key event in The Bandit (1996) with our detailed, chronological timeline. Perfect for unpacking nonlinear stories, spotting hidden connections, and understanding how each scene builds toward the film’s climax. Whether you're revisiting or decoding for the first time, this timeline gives you the full picture.

1

Release from prison and return to home village

Baran is released after serving a 35-year jail sentence in Viranşehir. He returns to his Eastern Turkish home village and discovers how much has changed during his absence. The village itself has been submerged by a dam, signaling a new, unforgiving landscape.

immediately after release Viranşehir and Baran's home village, Eastern Turkey
2

Baran learns Berfo betrayed him

Baran discovers that the man who betrayed him and caused his long imprisonment was his old comrade Berfo. Berfo had him arrested on Mountain Cudi and seized Baran's gold, paving the way for his own rise. The revelation fuels Baran's resolve to confront the past.

shortly after return Mountain Cudi, Eastern Turkey
3

Berfo's ascent shown on television

Baran watches news footage revealing Berfo as a wealthy magnate named Mahmut Şahoğlu. The startling contrast between the trusted friend and the powerful enemy underscores how much Berfo has changed. The sight stiffens Baran's determination to face him.

a while after release Baran's lodging
4

Confrontation at Berfo’s mansion

Baran spots Berfo's motorcade and is detained briefly before being released and brought to the mansion. The encounter exposes the distance between old loyalties and new power. Keje's vow of silence and her suffering loom over the confrontation.

soon after motorcade encounter Berfo's mansion
5

Keje's vow of silence

Keje has taken a vow of silence to protest her forced marriage to Berfo, a sign of the old order's grip. Her quiet defiance deepens Baran's longing and highlights the personal costs of Berfo’s schemes. The vow adds emotional weight to Berfo’s crumbling empire.

during the mansion confrontation Berfo's mansion
6

Baran and Cumali meet on the train to Istanbul

On the train to Istanbul, Baran meets Cumali, a streetwise young man trying to dodge plainclothes police. Cumali entrusts Baran with a contraband item, asking him to return it at a specified address. This unexpected alliance begins under mutual caution and necessity.

en route after leaving prison Train to Istanbul
7

Cumali’s backstory and rise as a courier

Cumali grew up in Beyoğlu's alleys, a troubled youth who drifts through dives, gambling, drugs, and women. He becomes a courier for a local mobster, moving drugs and aiding in manipulations while skimming off proceeds for himself. His ambition is clear: climb the criminal ladder.

early in the film Beyoğlu, Istanbul
8

Sedat and Emel's true relationship revealed

Cumali is informed that Sedat was not Emel's brother but her lover, and the pair flee after Sedat's release. This revelation adds another layer of deceit to the intertwined crimes around them. Baran and Cumali begin to realize how fragile trust has become in their world.

after Sedat's release Somewhere in Istanbul
9

Pursuit and the abduction at the mobster’s workshop

Cumali and Baran track Emel and Sedat, only to be abducted by the mobster's men and taken to a mechanics shop. Demands are made to recover missing funds, and Baran agrees to shoulder the debt to spare Cumali. Berfo's dishonored cheque becomes the flashpoint for escalating violence.

after pursuit Mobster's mechanics shop
10

Cumali dies on the rooftop

Cumali is mortally wounded and crawls to the rooftop of his hotel. Baran reaches him in time, but Cumali dies in his arms, a tragic toll of their violent world. Baran's resolve hardens as he contemplates further bloodshed to enact revenge.

moments after being wounded Hotel rooftop
11

Baran’s vengeance rampage

Grief-stricken, Baran sinks into a brutal rampage, killing the ageing pimp Sevim, raiding Demircan's shop, and gunning down Demircan himself despite pleas for mercy. The killings demonstrate the extent to which his quest for payback has consumed him. He spares no one in his path.

after Cumali’s death City streets and Demircan's shop
12

Final confrontation with Berfo and Berfo's death

Baran returns to Berfo’s manor to confront him for his duplicity. Berfo justifies his actions as love-driven and remains unrepentant, claiming Baran cannot commit such acts. Baran shoots Berfo dead, ending their long and toxic rivalry.

after rampage Berfo's manor
13

Baran is cornered and ends his life

With pursuit closing in, Baran is cornered by the police. In a final act of despair, he loses his talisman and, believing it to be a sign, commits suicide by walking off a ledge. The village elder Ceren Ana gazes after a shooting star, signaling the passing of an eşkıya.

final confrontation Baran's birthplace village
14

Epilogue: the shooting star

As Baran dies, the village elder witnesses a shooting star, a symbolic sign of the end of the eşkıya era. The film closes with a quiet reflection on vengeance and loyalty, suggesting Keje’s fate remains unresolved but the myth of Baran endures.

final moments Baran's birthplace village

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 10:52

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