The Bypass (2003) User Reviews (5)

A gritty, uncompromising short film from India

[DVD_Connoisseur · 8/10 · 6 June 2008]

"The Bypass" is a beautifully shot short from India based on a simple premise. This dark tale of life in the desert takes no prisoners - life is shown as cheap and the director delivers an uncompromising story in a stylish manner.

A major achievement, this short uses no dialogue or subtitles, it relies instead on the performances of its small cast to deliver the story.

While short in length, this film is recommended viewing.

8 out of 10. With this short film under his belt, surely it's only a matter of time before we see another project from director Amit Kumar?

A very professional short based on a dark yet enjoyable story

[bob the moo · 2 May 2004]

Two young people in love are making a trip through the desert and take the bypass round a town. On the bypass their car is ambushed by two men who kill them and take their possessions. The two men then make their way across the hills to get some food. However they are not the only corrupt people in the area and nobody in the area seems to be beyond violence and crime.

With no words in English and no subtitles, it was important that this short film be meaningful, easy to follow and clear. For a part of the film it the middle you are unsure of where it is going and it appears to wander a little bit, but it manages to end really well and mark itself out as a short film that focuses on a generally very violent and corrupt little area. The lack of meaningful dialogue wasn't really a problem as the film did enough to keep me involved in the story and the situation without the need for words. Of course the cast do a lot to help this and they are all pretty good - the standout being the first of the two criminals who has to carry a lot with looks and such.

On top of a good tale, the film's main attraction is that it looks great and is very professionally put together - this is not a student film or a short with a restrictive budget. The film looks very polished and the use of locations rather than studios or sets really helps. The film stock gives the film a further professional touch and it does look really very good considering the comparatively low budget that it was made on.

Overall, the short is based on a really enjoyable little tale, although you need patience and not to expect that tight a narrative. The lack of dialogue is not a problem and the film's main selling point is that it is very professional and looks like a great deal more money was spent on it than actually was.

Appearances can be deceiving

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 28 July 2015]

"The Bypass" is a 15-minute short film by writer and director Amit Kumar. It was his first work and his second film, a full feature, followed 10 years later, only two years ago. "Bypass" features Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Irrfan Khan, two of Indian's most known actors and Khan is also fairly known in the western world thanks to "Slumdog Millionaire", "Life of Pi" and, very recently, "Jurassic World". I thought this was an okay short film. It was pretty difficult to understand who is who, who is good, who is evil and consequently also what is going on exactly. But the atmospheric setting in the desert makes a bit up for that, not entirely though. The good thing about this film is that you don't need to understand Hindi to watch this as there are almost no scenes with dialog. All in all, a bit disappointing. Not recommended.

Corruption, violence, mayhem. Another day in the desert...

[shuflyfilmz · 1 June 2004]

What a beautiful film.

Shot on location in the deserts of India this little violent tale speaks volumes with hardly any dialogue. The cast are very impressive and employed because of their 'look'.

It deals with corruption and violence featuring characters from both sides of the law that are ready to rob and kill for money, food and sex. Superb cinematography. Can you go wrong in a desert? Characters ; The violent mute. The deadly con man. The Corrupt police man. The tainted woman. Beautiful landscape shots mixed with tight shots of the 'evil' in the mens eyes and actions. Great editing points. Amazing use of light.

Very well produced by the Bureau. It would be interesting to know what the budget was, i would say in excess of £30,000

All in all a razor edged tale of deception. Timeless folklore.

I look forward to a feature film by Amit Kumar.

bandits

[Kirpianuscus · 29 February 2024]

A story reminding olf Middle East fairy tales , from construction to final.

In a bypass, a stone and a hech are enough for two muggers to kill and to rob the victims. A young couple, after wedding is the perfect booty. A policeman, at the first sight, the source of risk. But the things are more easy for bad guys and a near halt proves this in bloody manner.

But all has an end. In this case , brutal, precise and some ironic.

I saw this short film for the presence in cast of Irrhan Khan and, indeed, he offers a realistic portrait of corrupt cop. But the star of film is...the desert. Its color, its refuges, its ambiguity. The perfect location.

So, a short film about corruption and a bitter lesson for two muggers.