Movie Review – Kingsman: The Secret Service

Fun and Frolic

Probably one of the most fun filled movie which I’ve watched in recent times. And as I had no idea about it and it took me out of blue, it was even more terrific. Films like these are the reason that you watch cinema for. With ample amount of action, sarcasm and a convoluted storyline, it makes for a terrific watch. Especially if you had watched it in theatres, your joy would have knew no bounds.

The movie has a ‘Tropic Thunder’ kind of opening and reveals what kind of film it was going to be, right from the word go. So you can’t be mistaken for what you’re in for. But with time, it gets a slightly serious tone and it confuses you. It doesn’t last long though. As it’s not a regional film for me, the opening was even more interesting for me. When a professor is kidnapped and someone fights everyone in the room and delivers a punch dialogue about saving him, we tend to believe that he’s the hero but he gets killed in the same scene. That was a beauty. Because if I had either known about the cast or had known who were the big stars, the surprise factor wouldn’t have happened.

Harry Hart (Colin Firth) gives a medal engraved with an emergency assistance number to his agent’s son Eggsy (Taron Egerton). They both make a great mentor – kid combo. Especially Eggsy, an utterly charming individual. Plus the fact that it’s a reveal of an underground organization for the first half of the movie, makes it an interesting watch. It’s like those superhero’s first part where he gets to know about his powers. No matter how many films come and go, that part would always remain interesting. It’s the same here too.

As it’s an English film, obviously the place looks beautiful, everyone is a gentleman, except for the maverick psychopathic villain Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson). How cool does that tailor shop look, even without knowing anything about it. They celebrate their drinks and every time you see a frame with someone with alcohol in hand, it looks like picture perfect moment. Any of it could be made into a poster for either the drink, the suit or the shoes. It looks like a front page GQ ad.

The surprise factor of the movie was its suddenness. One major twist which I didn’t expect was the death of Harry. Just like Valentine says, “Well, it’s not one of those movies”. It really wasn’t. We don’t get much time to lament on the death of Harry. Plus we get another shock when Eggsy doesn’t get selected as Galahad. The final task felt like he did the right thing by not shooting the done. We’d have expected him to have got the title for able to empathize with a living being and give importance to any life. But again it’s not one of those movies so he doesn’t get the job. Anyways it doesn’t matter in the end as he comes out as true savior.

Another good thing about the movie was the friendship of Eggsy and Roxanne “Roxy” Morton (Sophie Cookson). It looked like they both would be a couple but Eggsy had other ideas. The climax wasn’t a total win-win as Valentine gets to his party sometime. The satellite scene was quite hilarious. With such stylish action sequences and a highly entertaining screenplay, it’s a movie worth its mettle.

Movie Review – The Conspirator

A period flick with a distant charm

Period films should always be given some settling time and doesn’t immediately work because it talks about the situation and politics around that time rather than focusing an individual and their story. So unless you know a little bit of history or not inclined towards knowing it, it remains distant. ‘The Conspirator’ too felt to be in the same category. As soon as it gets revealed to be a period flick, a sense of relaxation lures into the air which gets bypassed only by time. But once we get a grip of what’s happening or rather once the film grips us. Then it makes for a compelling watch.

The film’s story was a really interesting one, something surprisingly no one has thought of. It works as a conspiracy theory too, so it would always make for a good watch. But the events happen quite fast and it jumps from one event to another with varied time. The real crux of film gets to be known only around thirty minutes after the film when Mary Surratt (Robin Wright) gets arrested and Frederick Aiken (James McAvoy) reluctantly defends him. If Frederick had been a guy who was the only person who wanted to defend Mary, then it would have been a straightforward story. But Frederick compulsively takes the job but rather than sympathizing with his client, he stays true to his job and preserves his work ethics. That’s the beauty of the film.

James McAvoy and Robin Wright were eclectic in their roles and did to perfection. In fact the whole film was about the two of them. Mary even though wrongly convicted doesn’t let the identity of his son because she knows that once it comes out, it’s fairly simple to put all the charges on him and give him a death sentence so Frederick has double trouble of saving Mary when she is not ready to give out any clues about his son. The conversation between both of them were nicely taken. There was a specific scene where she sits out and gets some sun, it actually makes us feel a breath of fresh air. Another scene where an umbrella is held over shows what a proud individual she is. She resembles Julia Roberts so much in that scene but remains her own in delivering the right performance.

A couple of good things about the film were its tone and the eventualities. The whole film has a smoky depressing tone, especially the courtroom scenes. It’s really important in a period film as to what you show. You can’t get away with a vast canvas if you’re not an auteur. Plus it’s a confined film which wants to show about the individual’s plight rather than the place. So the focus rests solely on the people rather than the environment. Yet the environment has to be right no matter what the canvas is. The director Robert Redford does it just about the correct level.

On the other hand, the film accepts eventualities. I liked the fact that Mary Surratt dies, even though the film was about her. And in post credits scene we get to know that John Surratt gets released. But it’s not really a happy feeling. It ideally should have been the other way around. If it had been the ideal way, the film would have been simple and boring. Just because of the complexities, it marked itself as an interesting film.

As a whole, it makes for an interesting story to be known, rather than an interesting watch. If someone like Oliver Stone had made the movie, I’m sure it would have been far more engrossing. I guess when it comes to ‘The Conspirator’, it’s the leads and their sincerity which makes for an interesting. But when you’re binging, you got to watch movies of all kind, everything can’t be one of a kind.

Movie Review – Namak Haraam

A salt less soup

It was yet another mistake by me to have watched this soupy friendship tale disguised in the form of a cult classic. Wonder how to choose a good old Bollywood movie to watch. ‘Pyaasa’ was termed as classic and so was ‘Silsila’ but they both were grounds apart. Even otherwise, it is quite difficult to get into any sort of streamlined process to watch a good Bollywood movie of the past. Every time I expect to get something like ‘Sholay’, I only end up being disappointed. Plus the fact that each of these are going to be for three hours is not helping at all.

‘Namak Haraam’ was about a couple of friends. Firstly the entire film happens in flashback mode but the way it starts with Vikram ‘Vicky’ Maharaj (Amitabh Bachchan) coming out of jail, rightly pointed out by Manisha (Simi Garewal) that he looks like some psychology professor, actually got me curious. It was like sitting in an unknown place on a dog day afternoon and feeling something mysterious, yet pleasant about it. How Amitabh comes out so fresh out of jail as if he was in some therapeutic resort is a question which we’re not supposed to act but the feel of it was nice. But the happiness doesn’t last long.

We see a young Vicky and Somnath ‘Somu’ Chander Singh (Rajesh Khanna) in the flashback mode, who were given built up first by a couple of old men in tea shop bench, about how strong is their friendship. If that was not enough, the introduction scene was made cheesier by Somu’s sister “cutely” asking for pocket money from Vicky, Vicky having sweets from Somu’s mom and what’s worse, Somu appears in the same shirt as Vicky does. Why? I mean why were male friendships of the past projected as if they were gay. Even the playful encounter between Abbas and Vineeth looks weird in “Mustafa Mustafa” song. Wonder what the directors were actually thinking.

The movie treads in the same cheesy line throughout. There were various instances of one supporting another throughout the movie. Even though we know eventually sense was gonna prevail, the time taken was too much. The whole of the first half was just fooling around and when Somu gets to know that Vicky has some trouble by the workers. He disguises himself as a worker so that he could take revenge on the union leader.

If first half was about Vicky getting cheesy, the second half was about Somu and his romance. Absolutely abysmal. Even with his charm, it was really hard to digest that part of the story. With songs and slapstick comedies, it was annoying at best.

Sense prevails finally in the climax but by the time it happens it was too late and the sequence of events happen too sudden, which doesn’t give us any time to absorb. The titular dialogue happens just for name sake towards the end and doesn’t appeal at all. We don’t get any time to sympathize with Somu and be confused for Vicky. Conveniently Vicky’s dad ends up being the villain and gets hated by all.

What could have made the film interesting was instead of Vicky’s dad being projected as an outright villain, he could have shared how his ideology was correct. Even if we couldn’t have sympathized by him, there should have been some points were we could have been put into a confusion. The same confusion could have made Vicky vulnerable and not able to choose which the right path was. Plus when it comes to an emotional war between his dad and his best friend, the situation could have been more hectic for him and interesting for us.

Instead around the end, Vicky’s dad becomes the bad guy, Somu becomes the good guy and by the time Vicky could react, everything gets over. May be filmmakers of the past just want to cash in on the opportunity of the big stars but I could see it as only plain escapism because there were movies in the past which had tried to have some emotional value in addition to just being a dramatic slam bang sort of filmmaking. Hope I don’t end up being disappointed like this for yet another yesteryear Bollywood movie.

Movie Review – The Internship

What more do you need for a joyous evening

‘The Internship’ is a kind of a film which you can watch any time of the day, with anyone and still be not disappointed with it. It’s a kind of film, even if you don’t want to put an effort to watch, you don’t end up regretting. It’s a kind of film which I typically attribute as a ‘K TV film’ if it had been a Tamil film, a pure no nonsense no brainer worth a watch on a lazy day. With a stellar cast and a moving screenplay, it works as a joyous watch or to say in a lighter vein, an absolute guilty pleasure.

BRAY_20120725_2448.CR2

It was a pleasure to watch Owen Wilson. What a great actor he is. Thanks to ‘Midnight in Paris’, he was noticed and given more respect. Till that time he was at max seen a funny sidekick to other actors, but thanks to ‘Midnight in Paris’, he got accreditation for his performance. His performance, more so, the opening act itself was enough to induce the joy of ‘Midnight in Paris’. Not comparing both the films, but only very few actors can be as charming on screen like him. It was pure joy.

William “Billy” McMahon (Vince Vaughn) and Nicholas “Nick” Campbell (Owen Wilson) are people in sales who think they’re big shots but in actual terms, are losers. After losing the job and trying to make ends meet, they apply for an internship at Google. It’s a riot from there on. The movie was quite personal to me thanks to my training days in Infosys. And not sure how Google were okay for this movie, which looked like a ridicule than tribute. Wonder if they had used the same campus or was a set put up.

The movie had some genuine laughs and may be some ‘meh’ moments. But it’s not really a movie which you can criticize it for being meh. Billy wasn’t as interesting as Nick but was given more screen space. May be Owen Wilson was good enough to underplay and do his role to perfection. Especially his dinner date with Dana Simms (Rose Byrne) which was lovely. Rose Byrne was a beauty with brains ain’t it.

Other actors were stereotypes specific of their region and didn’t make much impact. Obviously the bar scene was the high point of the entire film and as expected an emotional scene happens post that. The good thing was that, even though typical, the scene actually worked. It made me forget that I was watching a film and got me into the movie. Post that, as expected, their sales experience helps them secure a win in a dramatic fashion.

Movie Review – Robot & Frank

A fair new world

One of the biggest let downs of a Sci-Fi movie, especially the ones which deals with the robots are, it trying to humanize them. It’s as if like it’s a compulsion like how characters interchange in a double action film. What ‘Robot & Frank’ does exceedingly well is that it doesn’t fall into that trap. The Robot remains robot and humans are human. It’s a world where they both coexist and the Robots look part of environment. That’s the most organic way of making a Sci-Fi movie, where nothing looks superficial. With just that one thing done right, the film feels, for the sake of better word ‘proper’.

The initial vibes of the film were like that of ‘Android Kunjappan Ver 5.25’ so I was ready to be disappointed. It’s always the first film which you watch works. Plus as it was an Indian film, we obviously would connect with it better but ‘Robot & Frank’ took me by surprise. Except for the fact that both the films had a robot and an old man, there wasn’t anything in common. In case if ‘Android Kunjappan Ver 5.25’ had really been inspired from ‘Robot & Frank’, it had to be appreciated for taking an idea and superbly making it rooted.

‘Robot & Frank’ starts with an irritable old man Frank Weld (Frank Langella) with losing memory trying to live life his way. His son who wants to “help” him, gives a robot. Initially they don’t gel well but he understands that the Robot doesn’t have any feelings and that makes them a team. The dehumanizing part that I talked about earlier, it was taken so seriously that even the robot doesn’t have a name and how often does it happen. Even the title which I found to be quite ordinary, was actually an intelligent one because it talks about two individuals who are like equals and nothing special about anyone. That was classic.

Another beautiful thing about the film was that the characters were so real and not really lovable. They’re humans with varied emotions. A sort of disoriented family but that doesn’t really spurt out as something odd. They’re not judged for what they are. That’s how true the writing was. Even the twist when he knows about his wife, works. It takes you by surprise but there is no grandeur to it. In fact, it’s how the entire movie evolves.

For a movie like this, eventually it’s the chemistry between the lead characters or the bromance, is what really matters. It was not overdone and feels just about right. There were a couple of scenes in the movie where the Robot takes advantage. First, trying to guilt trip him and the final one where it tries to make him erase his memory. Even though the Robot was not humanized, it makes you fall for it. You can’t help but get attached to it. Finally when the Frank switches off the robot, it ends up in a hugging position, oh what a great moment it was.

Even though Frank doesn’t really come out as a nice guy. He appears to be an original. Someone whom we vouch for despite knowing the fact that he’s not morally right. Its characters like these who feel real. He doesn’t shy away from shooing off his daughter, who wants to again “help” him like his brother. Normally in any other film, this self-love would have been either glorified or showcased as something villainous, here it’s happens matter of factly.

Also he being a burglar or may be a kleptomaniac, he plays the tricks well and makes his character lovable. It’s not a traditional Anthony Hopkins type of movie which gives you a great high but something which you want to shout out loud but you can’t, because of the way it was treated. There was a specific scene where the police comes to check on him due to the burglary and he acts so cool. That could have been easily made a mass scene with a strong BGM but it doesn’t, it appears to be so casual and ends up being uber cool.

Movie Review – The Whistleblower

Shames of war

Probably the most clinical women centric film I’ve seen since ‘Zero Dark Thirty’. There have been manly female centric films which I’ve watched and loved but ‘The Whistleblower’ was the closest to perfect movie in the genre that I like. A strong female leading the way without breaking away. Guess only if female directors make film, it’ll come out this good. ‘The Whistleblower’ blew me off my mind out of nowhere, wonder why it was not as celebrated as it should have been. Not only was it a clinical film but it was a film with a purpose.

It was the first of the unknown treasure in my Hard Disk. Guess I’ll be unraveling a lot more in coming days. Luckily for me the subtitles didn’t work for non-English part, I’ve always wanted to make film like that where the non-native language shouldn’t have subtitles. Isn’t it how it’ll be for us if we are in the situation? That’s why I could empathize with the lead character, Kathryn Bolkovac (Rachel Weisz) in a better way, when she was in a different part of the world.

Rachel Weisz was intentionally toned down in her makeup yet she couldn’t help but be beautiful in some of the close up shots. Oh, what a curse to have. Parts of her character reminded of Sue (Alice Patten) from ‘Rang De Basanti’ and Maya Harris (Jessica Chastain) from ‘Zero Dark Thirty’, who in turn felt like an alter ego of Kathryn Bigelow. When compared to the latter, the former looked more superficial. Even as a film, ‘The Whistleblower’ was similar to ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ with all its military cunningness.

The film starts with Raya (Roxana Condurache), a young Ukrainian woman coming home late but rejoining the party again due to her mother’s rudeness and it was evident that something worse was going to happen. On the other side of the spectrum is Kathryn who’s trying for a transfer to remain close to her daughter. After a couple of failed marriage that’s the only solace she was trying to find but gets an offer to earn big bucks in short time so agrees for an assignment to go to Bosnia.

She goes up in the ranks and thankfully the drama at home doesn’t erupt, even her daughter cuts her phone in a hurry, so in a way it was a relief. Just like how the phone call doesn’t affect us, it doesn’t affect Kathyrn too as it’s all sudden and she has bigger problems. Ever since she finds out what’s happening in the organization, the film’s tension remains on a high always.

The best part about the movie was that she doesn’t come out as a superficial character who wins against all odds. She remains very much part of system and yet she has to fight it and she does it so beautifully. Rachael Weisz was splendid in the movie. If made into Tamil with Nayanthara it’d have been easily spoilt and made into a movie like ‘Aramm’ where the only focus would be her. Even though in the film her struggle would have been shown we wouldn’t be able to empathize her because we know that just like our heroes she too would succeed but with Kathyrn we could very much empathize her. Plus I loved the fact that there wasn’t a scene where she was physically abused by a male. That’s so depressing to watch in a female centric when the fairer sex get out powered by something and they couldn’t fight. Thankfully in the movie she fights the system more than men, even though it’s made up of them. That’s how lovely the director, Larysa Kondracki had made the film without taking a feminist tone.

Post war movies are always hard hitting. This movie too was. Plus knowing that it was inspired by real events makes it more horrific. Wonder how much of the post credit scenes were true but as per the news Kathyrn has been successful in the attempt to unravel the mask for corrupt people. Also the end even though looks like a Tamil film template, by going to media, it looked like the only realistic option of her winning without being a wonder woman. It’s a shame that the director hadn’t made any other movie after this, yet, that’s one more reason to love the film too. Because it shows her determination in what she wanted to do and not continue just for the sake of it. Just like Kathyrn, Larysa Kondracki too is a woman of purpose.

Movie Review – Maanaadu

A Venkat Prabhu Fun Ride

Only a Venkat Prabhu film can guarantee a fun ride like this. An absolute guilty pleasure. I’m not saying this to demean the film because it was a sincere attempt, but nevertheless a great guilty pleasure. Thankfully the film doesn’t go to ‘Tenet’ mode and keeps its food grounded with the fun factor more than anything else. With enough number of puns and funs, the movie not only thrills you but keeps you engaged till the end. It’s like one of the rides in the theme park which gives you an unexpected satisfaction.

The movie begins with a usual big hero gimmick but it can be easy overlooked as it was not irritating. The first twenty minutes of Venkat Prabhu’s films would always be the worst, if it doesn’t pick up after that, it means that it’s a debacle. But movies like ‘Saroja’ and ‘Maanaadu’ pick up post that and give enough satisfaction. So the flight scene, a mandatory glass break, a needless song etc. bores you out, but by now everyone would have got used to Venkat Prabhu’s style of filmmaking so they’d have been okay. The films tension starts as soon as S. J. Surya gets introduced and consequent death/deaths.

We get to know about his reliving post the first death and movie was well shot for those sequences, with these many people. It’s not a movie to knit pick on the missing details but something we’ve to just go with the flow and enjoy. So it was a fairly enjoyable ride. Wish Kalyani Priyadarshan had got some more role rather than just being a dumb heroine. Wonder how if she does the same in Malayalam movie, it works but in Tamil movie it feels dumb. Others were just irritating characters with just no value. The whole film was just a faceoff between S J Suryah and Simbu.

Abdul Khaliq (Silambarasan) is an NRI returning from Dubai for a friend’s marriage. In fact to marry off a friend by abducting the girl for it, but a turn of events makes him realize that he has some bigger purpose and continues reliving the same day. The logic was silly but it’s good that they didn’t delve deep into that except for a short explanation. The whole Hindu-Muslim thing too was absurd and needless. Wish it didn’t try to be of any bigger purpose than it really was. But anyways if we dig deep, it’s our mistake, these needs to be dealt at surface level and washed off. Then you’ll get an enjoyable ride.

Generally in a film like this, after we get to know about the reason of time loop, it becomes redundant but the interval block where it was revealed that DCP V. Dhanushkodi (S. J. Suryah) too loops back in time, it becomes interesting. Kudos to Venkat Prabhu for keeping the audience in hook till the climax. Some tactics like dying many times during fight and coming back to escape from death was handled efficiently. But isn’t it how a normal human would have the death probability. Only because our heroes are super powerful they escape these many deaths naturally.

In all its one of the movies which was fun but could have been a lot more fun if watched with a crowd in theatre.

Movie Review – Rocky (2021)

Love thy violence

In what looks like a marriage between ‘Old Boy’ and ‘Super Deluxe’, this looks like a first proper film in the gore genre for Tamil cinema. Something which ‘Boys’ did to Adult film genre in Tamil cinema. The director, Arun Matheshwaran seems to have a strong liking towards violence and it wasn’t used just as a showbiz tool but as a world which he has created. Even though parts of it would definitely remind you of Korean films, it doesn’t come out as a film where the violence gives you a sadistic high but a definitive scare. May be because it’s the first film where this amount of gore had a native flavor to it.

The posters of the film was done brilliantly with all the characters together, Rocky (Vasanth Ravi), Manimaran (Bharathiraja) and co. It gave a Thevar Magan feel with Bharathiraja sitting in front and Rocky standing behind him with a number of associates. It felt like one whole gang who were fighting together against someone but on watching the film we realize it’s the complete opposite. May be the poster was done so intentionally to give a shock or done with the idea of the past of them. Even without the hidden meanings it was brilliant but after we get to know the story, it only becomes better.

As soon as the movie starts we get to know that it has a world of its own, just like ‘Super Deluxe’. The timelines are quite confusing because the film doesn’t take a traditional angle where the hero ages physically. Going by the angle that Manimaran’s son (Rishikanth) killed Rocky’s mother Malli (Rohini) and Rocky avenged him for that and spends time in jail, there was hardly any change physically of Rocky. It’s a kind of film that a question for that shouldn’t be raised. Just like how someone comes out of blue to try to kill Rocky’s Niece Malli (Anisha). Films like these give confidence to young directors to create whatever they like, without the need to stick by the tradition.

But even in a film which tries to be its own, why do you have to have songs. Especially the song when Rocky meets his sister Amudha (Raveena Ravi) spoils both the sequence before it and post it. It was a beautiful long shot to her room and back to road, giving a chill but thanks to the song we get to breathe a sigh of relief, post that we see Amudha dying in front of Rocky. The song could have easily been avoided to have the emotions swinging from tension to sweetness to horror but guess the director wanted to use the song as a tool for sweetness, which only led to relaxation. In fact it was the only point of relaxation in an otherwise solid tense movie.

Quite contrary to other Hitman movies, this film doesn’t feature bulked up people as goons but rather fragile ones actually. The horror is in their action and not looks. Especially Manimaran’s introduction scene where he explains how he was successful in fishery business was lit. Because till then Thanraj (Ashraf Mallisery) looks comic in his act of going front and back in a road roller but only when it looks like a threat we get to know what a horrific villain he was.

It could have been a terrific climax after all the blood and gore, but Lokesh Kanagaraj single handedly has spoilt the entire generation’s expectations by giving a definition an overdose of gun action in Kaithi. That’s why every other film which has similar climax looks meek. But thankfully, an actor with an otherwise average voice modulation, delivers one hell of a punch in the climax, which gives enough climax to watch the film till end with the glee, “Maman thangai magalaana, Mangai unakaaga, Ulagai vilai pesuvaar”

Movie Review – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

What.A.Woman!

What, a, woman! Probably that’s the only thought that constantly lingers in the mind while watching the movie. ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’ is a rare gem which gets the tone of the movie perfect while making it message oriented. It’s not a movie where you’d instantly like the protagonists and it’s not a movie which lures you with the shock value but a carefully constructed mood piece which makes you feel as if you’re inside an exploding chamber, which in the end doesn’t really explode but releases the vacuum in a subtle way.

The biggest advantage of this being a non-native movie was that, even though the title was direct, I didn’t know what was written in the three billboards and as I had not known, it was a great pleasure to decrypt it as the movie began. It doesn’t take much time for the movie to tell you about what the it was all about. But even in those first few minutes, the movie keeps you tensed. Thanks to the setting, lighting, sound, maybe everything but the most important of all was the lady, Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand). What an actor Frances McDormand is, who can make any character special. Who can forget her performance in ‘Fargo’? It was one of the movies where anyone would be thinking that she can’t repeat a performance like that or she wouldn’t get such a character again but ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’ was equivalent to it.

The director, Martin McDonagh doesn’t look like a man who was into theaters more than films because the way the scenes were shot, it was near perfect. It was one of the excoriatingly beautiful eerie movie which I had seen recently. My last favorite shot movie was ‘Capote’. So you can see that it has lived up to a certain standards. I’ve watched only once and didn’t want to rewatch it just to decode a point. But is it just me or he doesn’t really show all the three billboards together in a single shot. If it was intentional, it was a great piece of work. Because the title was the entirety of the movie and that’s what runs in our mind throughout the movie. In spite of that we don’t see the complete sentence of something which was etched in the movie.

It was a straight forward message oriented movie alright, may be even propagandist but it’s the best possible way one can do a message movie. The characters were so special and end in a fate we least imagine. Be it the death of Bill Willoughby (Woody Harrelson) whom thanks to the title, would have made us think that he’d appear throughout the movie. And Jason Dixon (Sam Rockwell), true to his name of the character, refines or defines what a dick, a person can be. He and his character was brilliant till the point his face gets burnt.

Look how brilliantly the characters were written. Not a single character in the movie was straight. A lady who has lost her daughter, who casually swears in the household with his son, a husband who has a dumb blonde of a woman who is of their daughters age, a dying Chief, an alcoholic momma’s boy, Dixon etc. it can’t get more clumsy than that but still they all are a part of society and coexist with each other and they need each other to coexist, that’s the beauty. Wish Dixon was a dick throughout the movie because it was too great a movie to see a change in the characteristic of an individual but thankfully he doesn’t emerge out in a traditionally heroic way. Love the doubts that he and Mildred have in the climax and thankfully the movie wasn’t simple enough, where the case gets resolved, yet doesn’t leave us in the hooks like a ‘Memories of Murder’, rather somehow makes us feel the realistic nature of life and gets us attached to the thinking of Dixon and Mildred.

If there was one scene I wish hadn’t happened, it would be the scene where he gets juice from Red Welby (Caleb Landry Jones) because it comes after such a great scene. Even if the character has transformed to be a better person post that arson light up, it would have been nice if that juice scene had not happened, it would give a more edgy feel especially in the bar. I probably expected Red to through the juice in his face but would’ve not liked even that had happened. Best would have been to just cut without the audience knowing whether Red knew that it was Dixon or not. Probably he getting a new face is a symbolism to his character transforming? May be. But that was the only weak link of an otherwise glorious movie.

Movie Review – D

Raw and rocking

Ram Gopal Varma’s films are a charm isn’t it. Even though, this was not directed by him. Vishram Sawant only looked like he mirrored RGV’s thoughts because it looked very much an RGV film with raw, unruffled emotions. Produced under his banner and considered the last of his movies among Indian Gangster Trilogy the movie was to the point. As much as the emotions looked stripped, ‘D’ was all about emotion. Lethargic, third person type of emotion. With Randeep Hooda at the fore, he brings in a natural flavor to the type of movie which Ram Gopal Varma had wanted.

Just like any out of the box movie, it takes a while for the audience to settle. The initial few minutes are clumsy and intentionally made in that way. May be that’s an attribute to RGVs style of film making. We get to see a young man, Deshu (Randeep Hooda) coming back to his hometown for his mother’s death. Deshu is not really an emotive person. He feels that it’s just his duty that he had to be there for his mother’s death. It’s more of a compulsion for him than the love towards his mother. He sees a live death within few days and then again witnesses a murder which makes him understand that it’s not a fair world outside.

The acting for these sequences were pretty much Godard like. The emotions were not spoon fed for us to understand. We don’t feel curious to see what’s his life was going to become but we get driven by his life, as if like a passerby. As he gets humiliated by Mangli’s (Raju Mavani) gang, instead of confessing or joining the gang, he joins the opposite gang and takes his revenge.

Then all we see is his rise, which was in a way interesting. There were few interesting scenes where the dialogues can’t be heard, even though they continue to talk. Generally these would be implemented at some of the suspenseful points in the film and is one of the most irritating techniques but here it feels like fast forwarding an unwanted song. It was a relief because we don’t really want to get to the details of an uninteresting man. We just want to see the highlights. The music in those junctions too were appealing and elevates the mood of the movie, giving a retro punk feel.

The only point of the film which looks forced in the conclusion. Hashim Bhai (Goga Kapoor) becoming folly of the plans of two of his sons, Mukarram (Sushant Singh) and Shabbir (Yashpal Sharma) felt too convenient. A man of his stature believing age old tricks like this was not convincing. It’d have rather been interesting if he had acted as if he was supporting his sons because if he had not he’d have been killed by his sons. If he had, he would’ve known that his sons would be eventually killed because Deshu is no normal person. That conflict would have been interesting than having a plain old ending.

The film more than anything was ambitious and that was so nice to watch. Any budding filmmaker who wants to make a gangster film would be inspired and would think that they don’t have to always have a huge budget for such movies. In fact even the gun sound coming of silencer was done so soft that there was no big fuzz over anything. It’s a world which RGV has created and would remain forever like this, no matter what he does post that.