The Redemption Raid
UDHAO (aka RUNAWAY) is a (quite unexpected) superb masterpiece from Bangladesh by first-timer Amit Ashraf.
UDHAO's story came to Ashraf's mind, while talking to his grandmother's maid. Being left behind by her husband with her three children, she wished somebody could bring him back to their family.
Together with producer Sumon Arefin, the future director imagined bounty hunter Babu's fictional story, which thus draws its inspiration in many terrifying true facts of Bangladesh's everyday life. If UDHAO's intriguing introduction seems to lead the movie into the path of another action movie, it develops more into a humanistic, yet suspenseful thriller drama. Bounty hunter Babu kidnaps the evil politician Akbar to start an adventurous journey through Bangladesh's beautiful, yet so menacing countryside. Whenever action sets down for a calmer approach, danger is never very far – such as in person of actor's Animesh Aich "Raj", Akbar's explosive right hand. As such, one never quite knows where Amit Ashraf's journey will take you – until the very strong ending, way beyond all expectations.
The last sequence might remind some audience members of Japanese director Takeshi Kitano's most powerful films, such as HANA-BI or SONATINE; but truth is, Ashraf's perfect mise-en-scene and – most overall – courage to take all leads to a very logic finish makes it one of the most powerful ending sequences of ANY movie in years
which makes the audience want to see the movie over and over again to reveal all the subtle red herrings (and I'm not only talking about the trail of "koi" fish) left behind by the smart film director throughout the film.
