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Yahşi Batı

Yahşi Batı

Movie · 2009 · 14 people

Ömer Faruk Sorak directed the Turkish comedy Yahşi Batı (Yahsi Bati - The Ottoman Cowboys), which Cem Yılmaz wrote and starred in. A parody of the Western, it reached cinemas across Turkey on January 1, 2010, and was among the highest-grossing Turkish films of that year; it is also said to have stayed at the top of the box office for two weeks. Böcek Yapım produced it, and it runs about 112 minutes. The title is a pun: Yahşi Batı ("Mild West") bends the phrase Vahşi Batı, "Wild West".

The story is set in 1881. Cem Yılmaz plays Aziz Vefa, a Teşkilat-ı Mahsusa agent. Sultan Abdülhamid II is sending a valuable diamond as a gift to the American president, James Garfield, and Aziz Bey and his companion Lemi Bey are charged with delivering it. On their train journey, outlaws stop the train and take the diamond and their money. Hoping to win the stone and their funds back, the pair take up one of the trades in vogue, bounty hunting, chasing notorious wanted men. In the town where they settle, trouble and comic adventures keep finding them.

Ozan Güven, Demet Evgar, Cansu Dere, Özkan Uğur, Zafer Algöz, Uğur Polat and Mazlum Çimen appear alongside Yılmaz.

DirectorÖmer Faruk Sorak
Production companyBöcek Yapım
Yahşi Batı Yahşi Batı Yahşi Batı

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Cast

Cansu Dere Cansu Dere Actor · 46 years old Mary Lou Cem Yılmaz Cem Yılmaz Actor · 53 years old Aziz Vefa Demet Evgar Demet Evgar Actor · 46 years old Susan Van Dyke Mazlum Çimen Mazlum Çimen Musician · 68 years old Wanted Şerif 1 Ozan Güven Ozan Güven Actor · 51 years old Lemi Galip Özkan Uğur Özkan Uğur Actor · died at 69 Chief Kizilkayalar Uğur Polat Uğur Polat Actor · 65 years old Zafer Algöz Zafer Algöz Actor · 65 years old Sheriff Lloyd Ferdi Sancar Ferdi Sancar Actor · 46 years old Johnnie İzzet Çivril İzzet Çivril Actor · born 1952 Süleyman Turan Süleyman Turan Actor · died at 82 Sheriff Murphy Yılmaz Köksal Actor · died at 75 Sheriff Ceko Nilperi Şahinkaya Nilperi Şahinkaya Actor · 38 years old Alice Bouton Deniz Özerman Deniz Özerman Actor · 57 years old Amish Woman

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Through different eyes

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Yahşi Batı drops Ottoman agents into the conventions of the Western, and as a concept the parody is genuinely clever. In 1881, Aziz Vefa and Lemi Bey, entrusted with the diamond Abdul Hamid II is sending to US President James Garfield, slot neatly into the genre's two-strangers-in-a-strange-town template. Ömer Faruk Sorak shoots the genre's visual language straight, which a parody needs in order to work. Cem Yılmaz's script, meanwhile, leans heavily on wordplay, starting with the title's slide from 'Wild' to 'Mild'. Once the bounty hunting begins, the structure turns into an episodic run of sketches: some sparkle, some sag, and the roughly 112-minute running time makes the unevenness more noticeable. A fun game for anyone who enjoys genre play, a little loose for anyone wanting tight storytelling.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humor and heart.

Yahşi Batı is a cowboy parody whose Cem Yılmaz jokes get laughs from adults and teenagers alike. The train robbery, the small-town scrapes and the bounty hunting will catch kids' interest too. That said, there are outlaws, guns and wanted men, which may be a bit much for the very young. Since many of the jokes rest on wordplay, little ones may miss quite a few of them. It works best for ages eleven or twelve and up.

Yeşilçam Nostalgic A viewer raised on the classics, looking for warm storytelling and strong acting.

To eyes raised on the classics, the most endearing thing about Yahşi Batı is how it recalls the old comic tradition of two companions who cannot stay out of trouble. Aziz Vefa and Lemi Bey losing the diamond the sultan sent to America and turning bounty hunters has a sweet, fairy-tale air of its own. Alongside Cem Yılmaz, Ozan Güven and Demet Evgar add color. Yet most of the humor rests on wordplay and quick references; anyone looking for the heartfelt, smile-through-tears comedy of Yeşilçam will find the laughs here, but not quite that warmth.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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