The Bandit of Zhobe

I have never understood why so many films came out in the United States which extolled the virtues of British colonial rule. After all, didn't the USA at one time fight the Brits for independence as well?!! Despite this, from the 1930s-50s, a ton of American films portrayed this colonialism as a good thing...with all sorts of heroes in the lead. I guess with "The Bandit of Zhobe", this made a bit more sense as the movie was made by Brits...though why the insane choice was made to cast Victor Mature as an Indian is beyond me. He just didn't look the least bit like an Indian. Here, we are expected to believe he is the bandit, Kasim Khan!!

Shortly after the story begins, the British want to bring in Kasim for questioning. He's innocent and is about to go with them when one of Khan's loyal men creates a diversion...and Khan escapes. During his absence his family is murdered and Khan assumes it was done by the British. He then goes on to form a band of rebels who threaten the peace and British rule.

So is this any good? Well, not especially. Despite a few colorful scenes, the film is pretty dull and Mature seems very willing to take a paycheck for a lackluster performance and film.

The most surprising thing about this movie is that only three years before, Victor Mature (in another great casting decision) plays an Afghani man and the plots are incredibly similar. Watch "Zarak" and you will see what I mean.

Surprisingly enough, this proved to be a totally routine desert adventure from many of the same people behind ZARAK (1956), of which THE BANDIT OF ZHOBE is only a pale shadow; while no classic in itself, the inherent campiness of the earlier film rendered it irresistible – but that has been replaced here by relentless dullness (the extremely faded print I watched certainly did not help matters)! Victor Mature once again makes for a wooden (and, having had his family murdered, humorless) lead; incidentally, the narrative spends more time with the obligatory young couple (Anthony Newley[!] and Anne Aubrey) – though Norman Wooland more or less serves the same function that Michael Wilding did in ZARAK. The writer-director of this one had actually written the latter and would return again to this milieu for Hammer's THE BRIGAND OF KANDAHAR (1965; which I may be watching soon at the same venue which hosted the screening of THE BANDIT OF ZHOBE itself). Incidentally, I have also just acquired KILLERS OF KILIMANJARO (1959), yet another Warwick production centering around a fading Hollywood star (Robert Taylor) – but also featuring the aforementioned Newley and Aubrey. Anyway, to get back to the film at hand: at a trim 80 minutes, I suppose it makes for passable unassuming entertainment but is also utterly forgettable; for the record, it does climax in a lengthy (and reasonably exciting) skirmish…even if the low-budget involved meant that the same sets as ZARAK would have to be used (and probably some of its action footage as well)! As usual with this company, reading the credits I could not help but notice how producer Albert R. Broccoli, story writer Richard Maibaum and cinematographer Ted Moore would be far more inspired when they set out to make the initial James Bond extravaganzas a mere 3 years later (by the way, a regular of that series, Walter Gotell, is the chief villain here who mortally wounds Mature at the finale but is himself despatched by the now understanding Wooland). For what it is worth, the biggest laugh this film got from the five-man audience who were watching it (myself included, of course) was when a heavy-set Indian henchman spat out what seemed like a bucketful of saliva at the British and clumsy soldier Anthony Newley almost slips in it!!

Victor Mature was always fond of telling people how bored he was in the acting profession and pretty soon he'd be out of it for the most part. He was at his most bored making The Bandit Of Zhobe an Indian Northwestern set on the real Indian frontier. He sleepwalks through this part, probably worried his paycheck wouldn't clear.

Back in the day tales of the British army defending those outer reaches of the Empire on which the sun never set were as popular with British kids as the dime novels written about the exploits of our frontier characters out west. The Bandit Of Zhobe plays like one of those westerns.

The evil Walter Gotell wants to get the frontier ablaze and what better way to do it than get the British army fighting with a neighboring native leader. Gotell has his guys attacking the British army and also has his guys in British army Sepoy uniforms go into Mature's town and massacre the place, killing his wife and child. I've seen this plot premise in many of our own westerns.

Taking on the task of bringing everyone together is Anne Aubrey, daughter of British Colonel Norman Wooland. A little bit of Rudolph Valentino's The Sheik is thrown in here with Aubrey's obvious attraction for Mature even though he's been doing terrible things to her people after he's been set on the warpath.

Best in the film without a doubt is Anthony Newley as the corporal and bodyguard of Aubrey. He proves to be quite resourceful and has the best lines the script. The final battle between Gotell's people and the British army is also well staged.

But we've seen all of it before in many an American western.

Nicely photographed...Mature does some of his worst most wooden acting....while the rest of the Brits are solid. Anthony Newley as a corporal is a panic and provides understated comedy relief throughout. My favorite scene is when Newley wanders into an ammo storehouse during the climatic battle and calmly asks for some dynamite. The man in charge gives him a hard time - sighting the requirement of paperwork. Newley then explains that there is a war going on outside - to which the man in charge then dryly states in that case he'll also need another piece of paperwork as well ! Newley finally talks the fellow into letting him have a single small case - so long as he doesn't tell anyone else - lest everyone come in asking for some. This one scene was worth the price of admission !

A bandit with a price on his head, is seen this time blind for revenge. He thinks that the British have massacred his people, his family, his wife and child. But he is wrong. Only the little romantic daughter of his enemy, overflowing with pity for him, could open his eyes to the truth.

The story and situations are similar to Zarak, the previous Victor Mature Northwest frontier romp, and I must say this 1959 film starring Victor Nature, Anthony Newley and Anne Aubrey is much better - I found Zarak slow and dull in parts, whereas the Bandit of Zhobe isn't dull, has a niftier pace, gets straight to the meat of the matter rather than meandering, has some exciting action sequences, and Victor Mature is great in his role. The man can make anything watchable. Anne Aubrey is good as the major's daughter who is a pacifist and sympathises with Mature. The only thing is that it lacks nuance or a sharper script to give it an edge over the routine story. Possibly more mystery/investigation into the plot of the villain (Walter Gottell) would have been good, but as it is an entertaining film.