What I like about the film is that it isn't as much anti-Turkish as anti-janissary. 

I still do think it would be important to mention some criticism or alternative reading of the book/film (I don't necessarily agree with everything I am about to write):
-The book was ordered (i.e. not original idea of the author) and then written in only 75 days, which makes it suspicious of politically ordered literature. 
-I have read a decent amount of criticism about the historical accuracy. 
-The film was released in the 80s at a time when the Turkish minority was forcefully expelled from the country in what I regard as a last nationalistic attempt of the communist regime to justify its grip on power. Even the author of the book said that the main goal was to unify the nation.

I am not saying the film is good or bad or whether it is nationalistic propaganda, but I still think it is important to think about all the motives that contributed to its making.