Movie Review: The Wolverine

I am not a comics fan. When X-Men was released in 2000, I stayed away from the movie. Later, I was hooked to the series after watching the excerpts on a long flight. The movie is about a group of misfits and teamwork. X-men are talented but it only makes sense when they are all working together. Among the X-men, Wolverine/Logan is the person who stands out because he hates teamwork. He can easily survive alone. With the unique talent of longevity that comes with self healing power, he has been doing that for centuries. So it is no surprise when the maker decide to create a spin-off from the X-men series featuring only the moody loner, Wolverine/Logan.

The role of Wolverine/Logan has been safe with Hugh Jackman for over a decade now. It is not only the physique but also the intensity brought into the role that has made us love Hugh Jackman's Wolverine/Logan. But the first outing, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, introducing the spin off was a letdown. Although it featured a lot of action scenes, it failed to connect emotionally. I thought the series was dead after the fiasco. When you are talking about Wolverine, all sins are pardoned when the next trailer is launched. Luckily, they have changed the director in the second outing.

This time, James Mangold is at the helm as the director. With him on-board, I hoped he would combine drama and action in this series just like how he did it in the remake of 3:10 to Yuma. Unfortunately for us, James Mangold infuses a lot of drama but fails in the action department. The movie starts off at an unspecified time after X-Men: The Last Stand has ended. At this point of time, Logan is a disillusioned warrior longing for Jean Grey(Famke Janssen). When the immortality has driven Logan into a recluse, Yoshida beckons him to Japan to bid farewell. Upon reaching Japan, Logan has to protect Mariko(Tao Okamonto) from Yakuza and Viper with the help of Yukio(Rila Fukushima). 

To watch Logan struggle with his demons is interesting. It makes the character more human. In the end, a lot of fleeting appearances of Jean Grey at many places in the movie spoils the experience. When the director and the script writers focuses on Logan's struggle, they spend less efforts on bringing a strong villain to movie thereby forgetting the series is also about action. By moving the setting to Japan, it provides an opportunity to match Logan's adamantium claws with samurai swords. The only action sequence that stands out is the fight on top of the bullet train. The first action sequence during the funeral is also good. But the shaky camera and the 3D works against it. This movie would have been far more enjoyable if the makers had used the traditional approach.

The most exciting part of the movie is the post credits. Luckily you don't have to wait an eternity for this portion to come. This is when Professor X(Patrick Stewart) and Magento(Ian McKellen) shows up to set the stage for the next one. I advice you to skip this one and wait for the next instalment. The man who started it all, Bryan Singer, is back as the director. Moreover, the cast is a mix of the oldies (featuring some of Bryan's initial cast and Matthew Vaughn's cast from X Men: First Class. The next installment is worth waiting for.

Language: English

Genre: Action

Rating: **

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Movie Review: D-Day

When diplomacy and international boundaries are the roadblocks, the head of the spy agency in India gives a last shot at apprehending the criminal by going ahead with a covert operation. Nikhil Advani, heavily inspired from theme which is featured many times before in Hollywood movies, attempts to transplant the scenario to the current socio-political context of India. If you are familiar with the works of Nikhil Advani, then you also know the director has left his comfort zone to attempt an entirely different genre. Nikhil's strong point is melodrama. This strong point appears at several places in this movie too but not in a positive way. In the end, the movie turns out to be a watchable fare because of the screenplay, the way in which the movie is shot, editing and some of the actors.

The screenplay by Nikhil Advani, Suresh Nair and Nikhil Vyas(the last two of Kahaani fame) is non-linear. The movie without wasting time puts us right in the middle of action in the first few minutes. The protagonists Wali Khan(Irrfan Khan), Rudra(Arjun Rampal), Zoya Rehman(Huma Qureshi) and Aslam(Aakash Daahiya) tries to nab an unsuspecting Goldman(Rishi Kapoor) after ambushing his convoy in the parking lot of the hotel where Goldman has arrived to take part in the pre-wedding party of his son. That is when the action is abruptly halted on the screen for the director and his screenplay pals to tell us how this operation was planned. This is a technique you see through out the movie. The trio shows us a scene and then take us through the chain of events that led to the scene. This can be at times confusing. But this is also a good way of laying out the movie to keep the viewer hooked to the proceedings. Most of us walk into movie with certain preconceived notions.This technique helps in shaking us out of it. To make the viewers feel they are in the midst of action, the cinematographer has used the shaky camera technique. This adds to the thrill.

It is a doomed operation. The plans do not work and the four operatives are abandoned by their country. To make matters worse, Goldman and the Pakisthani officials are on the lookout for these four operatives while Ashwini Rao(Nassar) who authorized this covert operation tries to get these operatives back to India. The role of Ashwini brings out the bureaucratic and political idiosyncracies. This forms the second half of the movie where Nikhil Advani decides to concentrate on the emotional turmoils of each operatives. This slows the second half especially Rudra's angle. This is a totally unnecessary backstory. Little is said about Aslam. They could have done the same about Rudra to make him more mysterious to the viewer. The whole movie is about suspension of disbelief. Telling nothing about Rudra would not have made us stretch this ability of ours more than what we have done already. Wali's backstory is essential for the plot while Zoya's is amusing which shows the difficulty of balancing work(especially espionage) and life. The second half could have been racier if Nikhil Advani had played the role of a ruthless editor to chop off the songs and also Rudra's love for the prostitute played by Shruti Haasan. Luckily for us, the director returns back to main theme after being lost for a few minutes.

Performance wise, the movie belongs to Irrfan Khan, Rishi Kapoor and Nassar. Irrfan's character, Wali, is complex to portray. He has been undercover for almost a decade for nabbing Goldman. He is also the man who convinces Ashwini to take up this mission but eventually is imbalanced by the fate of his family. At the end, he becomes a broken man unable to decide where his loyalties lie. The role is safe with Irrfan. Rishi Kapoor shows the various faces of Goldman very well. Goldman rarely becomes angry and when he becomes angry, you better stay out of the way. Otherwise he is always reasoning it out with everyone, even with his captors. These are the scenes which is enjoyable to watch because we know Goldman is playing with his captor's mind. Nassar is a surprising choice for the role. Hindi movies are not his forte although Nassar has effectively portrayed similar roles in Tamil movies. Nassar brings out the patriotic nature and the determination of Ashwini very well. Luckily, the director has allowed Nassar to dub in his voice thereby not diluting his performance despite having a pronounced South Indian accent.

There is a lot of blood and mutilation in the movie. So it should be out of bounds for kids. The movie is good attempt in making a thriller while heavily borrowing from Hollywood. There is a good amount of planning done on the project to customize it for our palette and also for how to tell a story. This is the best part of the movie. You may choose this movie if you have nothing else to watch in the multiplex.

Language: Hindi

Genre: Thriller

Rating: **

Tags: Movies,Irrfan Khan,Arjun Rampal,Rishi Kapoor,Nikhil Advani,Thriller

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Movie Review: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

At the end of the movie, Milkha Singh(Farhan Akhtar) overcomes the demons in his life and participates in a race in a land where he lost most of his family. The climax has poetic justice written all over it. To be fair, the final race is thrilling too. Unfortunately, the thrilling climax comes at a point where the movie has already tested the patience of the audience. After telling a story about ordinary yet colorful life in Delhi-6, Rakesh Omprakash Mehra chooses to narrate the story of the Flying Sikh, Milkha Singh, on the screen. There is a "inspired by a true life" declaration at the end of the movie. This is to caution the viewers not to believe all what is seen on the screen. Even though the basic premise is inspired from the life of Milkha Singh, there is a lot of elements added or changed for entertainment.

The movie starts with Milkha Singh's losing out an opportunity to win the gold medal in the 1960 Olympics. After his return, an entourage sent by the Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, comprising of Coach Gurudev Singh(Pawan Malhotra) and Coach Ranveer Singh(Yograj Singh), pays a visit to Milkha Singh in order to persuade him to participate in the friendly races organized with the neighboring country. The story of Milkha Singh is slowly revealed in the train journey of this entourage from Delhi to Chandigarh. This is how Prasoon Joshi sets his screenplay. This is a good technique to hook the audience. Like a real conversation, the narrative meanders into many things except the answer to the question that started the conversation. Why is Milkha not willing to participate in the friendly races? We all have been part of the conversations where we have veered away from the topic. This is pardonable. Now if you add unnecessary footage, slow motion and jarring background to the above problem, the end result is horribly slow and unpardonable.

The triumph of the movie lies in a few performances and the action sequences (read it as running race). Farhan Akhtar, Pawan Malhotra and Yograj Singh, after a bad start, infuses life into this movie. Farhan Akhtar has built on his physique and appearance for the role. If you look at the old photos of Milkha Singh, you can see the resemblance. Farhan, being a good actor, easily slips into the role. Anyways, this is not a complex role to play but a physically demanding role to play. This is where Farhan succeeds. Pawan Malhotra is Gurudev Singh who is Milkha's first coach. Thank god! Pawan Malhotra makes sure the role does not degrade into the regular Punjabi speaking sidekick we often find onscreen. Pawan shows his calibre in the scenes where he pushes Milkha Singh to deliver the best or the move into the next phase of his racing life. Yograj Singh represents strength and stability. The role doesn't demand much except screen presence. This is what he brings to the table. He is gentle yet tough and can train an athlete.

The action sequences are beautifully executed. Being the story of an athlete, the movie has a lot of races. Although the races end up exasperating the viewer after a while, the race itself is an exciting piece to watch. In order to keep us glued to the seat, Rakesh Omprakash Mehra and cinematographer Binod Pradhan chooses many interesting compositions and angles. Moreover, the runners are real runners. You can feel their pain while running. Be it the way the runners breath during the race, the way their bodies are arched forward, the way their legs move, the way the muscles in the body ripple... You are in the middle of the race, closer than what is featured in the news channels.

There are many things which Rakesh Omprakash Mehra goes wrong. The tone used for the movie is dark. For a movie which deals in the triumph of the human spirit, this is the wrong tone. Being a movie set in 1950s, there is a big challenge on the locales used. Here, a lot of CGI is used. The CGI may be subtle but the entire frame looks unnatural. The movie tries to cover a lot of events which mars the pace of the movie eventually. A running time of 189 minutes is an eternity when the scenes are dragged for no reason with multiple angles, slow motions and music.

It is ironic when the movie inspired by the life of the Flying Sikh turns out to be very slow. Although this is a brave attempt, the end result is not a focused one. I advice you to stay away. Give it a try if the makers a ready to trim the length.

Language: Hindi

Genre: Drama

Rating: **

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