Players (Movie Review)

Players (Movie Review)

CAST : Abhishek Bachchan, bipasha basu, Sonam Kapoor

You cannot help but compare the last film of 2011 with the first film of 2012. Both have a lot in common — “Don 2″ and “Players” are both heist films, both borrow heavily from Hollywood movies and have their share of over-the-top cheesy moments. There is just one thing that sets “Players” apart — there’s a lot more action in this one.

Director duo Abbas-Mustan make sure there’s plenty to keep you on the edge of your seat, and even though the film drags on longer than it should, you are still not looking to bolt from the hall.

Borrowing from the premise of “The Italian Job”, “Players” tells the story of Charlie Fernandes (Abhishek Bachchan), who plans to rob gold bars worth billions of dollars while it is being transferred from one country to another by train.

He enlists the help of hardened criminal Victor Braganza (Vinod Khanna), who helps him put together a team of a hacker, illusionist, make-up artist and Riya (Bipasha Basu), Charlie’s trusted partner in earlier crimes.

They pull off the heist after an edge-of-the-seat sequence but that’s not quite the end of the story. I won’t reveal anymore because not everyone’s watched “The Italian Job”, but suffice it to say the directors add enough songs, comic tracks and corny dialogues to ensure they’ve “tailored” it to Indian tastes.

There are several plotholes, the acting is plain vanilla and you can see the myriad twists coming a mile away. What saves this film is that it’s styled well, shot well and has enough chases and high-octane sequences to keep you interested.

One of the biggest problem areas is the acting — not a single person from the ensemble cast stands out. It’s all one-note, except for Neil Nitin Mukesh who is marginally better than the others. Special mention for Sonam Kapoor, who needs to start thinking about her laboured acting and stop thinking about her styling.

“Players” isn’t a great film, but it’s got enough going for it that you can watch it on a lazy weekend. Just don’t go out of your way for this one.

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Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl (Movie Review)

Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl (Movie Review)

Cast: Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, Parineeti Chopra, Aditi Sharma, Dipannita Sharma
Direction: Maneesh Sharma

Maneesh Sharma struck the marquee with the offbeat Band Baaja Baraat. Indeed, a yardstick that would be hard to measure up to. And yes, his second film doesn't really match the zing and the verve of the first one. 

Firstly, there is no humour, no earthy flavour (remember the vows on the bread pakora), no tingling chemistry between the lead pair -- everything which made the first film such a winner. More importantly, Anushka has a role only post-interval and the first half is devoted to his exploits with the other three girls. He dupes Parineeti and Aditi by pretending he's in love with them, Dipannita by selling her a fake Hussain painting. And then tries to con Anushka by selling her useless land at an exorbitant price. But somewhere down the singing and dancing, the duo steal a kiss and seal a new relationship: Voila! it's love at first kiss. Unconvincing, isn't it?

What does work in favour of the film are its performances and its non-hysterical tenor. The girls are a spirited lot and Ranveer is, well Ranveer: your average Joe kind of hero who looks convincing enough as Sunny, Deven, Iqbal, Ricky, his sundry avatars. Music by Salim Sulaiman is ordinary. A word about Parineeti Chopra: cute. 

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Don 2 (Movie Review)

Don 2 (Movie Review)

Don 2 is a classic action/crime thriller that doesn't let go, even for a moment. More importantly, the plot has been finely crafted, with every twist and turn falling into place like a complicated albeit neat little jigsaw. With a canvas that goes on a cross-country ride -- Thailand, Malaysia, Zurich, Berlin -- the film challenges you to hop aboard its high speed scuttle and attentively follow the exploits of its glamorous gangster. One who oscillates between two avatars -- Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible) and James Bond -- without losing out on his desi charisma.

The high point of the film is Shah Rukh's delineation of the character of the Don. The actor interprets him as an arrogant, agile, wicked and wild dare-devil who has the most bizarre schemes up his sleeves. But that's not all. He also has the chutzpah to carry them through. Taking off from the climax of the first film, the gangster resurfaces in Thailand after a suitable time span, creates mayhem and then, in an unprecedented and inexplicable move, surrenders before his old enemies (cop Roma), only to be sent to a Malaysian prison. Get ready for a breath taking prison-break sequence, where our maverick escapes with another old foe, Vardhan ( Boman Irani). The rest of the film is essentially the execution of a meticulous plan where the duo chooses to rob the Germans of their currency plates. Easier said than done, but with the devious Don, rest assured, no mission is an impossible mission. Shah Rukh remains in command and never loses his foothold, neither through the dramatic sequences nor through the action cuts. But of course, didn't we know the actor always loved playing wicked despite his romantic hero image. Remember Darr and Baazigar, two of his unforgettable films?

Action is the other alluring selling point of Farhan Akhtar's film. The chases, the fights, the demolition, destruction, break-ins, escapes have all been done with a finesse that rivals the best of Hollywood. Watch the car chase between Priyanka and Shah Rukh and you'll get the point. It's not only high voltage that drips with passion which makes it seem almost like foreplay. The other notable sequences include the heist, the escape and Shah Rukh's larger-than-life leap from a high-rise while his assassin wrings his hands in dismay.

The film does lack a bit on the emotional quotient and human relationships are hardly given a chance to grow. But just when you think it's all sound and fury, there's a sensuous tango between Roma and the Don as the cop opts to help the gangster she once loved and the gangster is determined to save his junglee billi (wild cat), any which way. A word about the dialogues: brilliant. A word about the music: mediocre (Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy).
Courtesy Times of India

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Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (Movie Review)

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (Movie Review)

Cast: Tom Cruise, Paula Patton, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Michael Nyqvist, Anil Kapoor
Direction: Brad Bird
Story: The high profile IMF is falsely accused of bombing the Kremlin and agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his teammates are forced to become rogue agents, with the government declaring a ghost protocol (no protection) against them. In a race against time, they must clear their name and save the world from armageddon, as a deadly megalomaniac, Cobalt ( Michael Nyqvist) wants to start a nuclear war.

Movie Review: Action has always been the high point of the Mission Impossible series. But this kind of action: Wow! The new film is essentially a relentless roller-coaster ride that doesn't give you a moment to sit back and keeps the adrenalin pumping to dizzy heights as Tom Cruise gets on his regular mission of saving the world, one more time. And once again, he has nothing on his side, not even his government, other than his physical prowess, his ability to perform the most death-defying stunts and an abundance of sheer luck which redefines the word 'impossible' as 'possible'.

This time however, he isn't working as the lone ranger but has a close knit crack team comprising agent carter ( Paula Patton), Brandt ( Jeremy Renner) and Benji ( Simon Pegg). While Carter adds the glamour quotient, apart from being a female action hero, Benji takes care of the humour element even as he manages the techie stuff and the funky gadgetry and Brandt, the analyst, remains unpredictable and mysterious with a deadly secret. It's a winning team, despite the individual differences and the foursome end up as an endearing family with each character having a substantial role to play.

But essentially it is the exquisite stunts and the high-decibel action set pieces which create magic on screen. The mission basically entails four main tasks: stealing a missing file, getting hold of the Cold War nuclear codes, infiltrating a satellite and finally, defusing a nuclear warhead before it strikes its target and decimates the world. But before the task is executed you get to witness some genre-defining action sequences which include a daring prison break in Russia, the infiltration of the Kremlin, Cruise's high-rise leaps and jumps followed by his awesome ascent over Dubai's tallest tower, Patton's cat fight with the blonde assassin, Brandt's satellite entry and the final confrontation in Mumbai's multi-level car parking.

Performance-wise, Cruise is in total command of the drama which boasts of several engaging twists and turns. A word about Anil Kapoor: he plays playboy Brij Nath with a penchant for pretty girls and shady deals, in a comic vein. It is just a bit more than a blink-and-you'll-miss role as Patton unleashes her charms on him. 


Source: Arynews

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