FORCE, the sleeper hit of 2011, gave us a super-tough and unbreakable Dwayne Johnson-type hero in the form of ACP Yashvardhan( John Abraham) and gritty action in the form of raw fists. Carrying the legacy forward and building it into a franchise, Force 2, produced by Vipul Shah and directed by Abhinay Deo( of Delly Belly, 24 fame) is an orgy of relentless action and visceral chases which delivers breathless thrills but falls short of a compelling story- telling.
Mixing facts and fiction, Deo centers his plot on a larger issue with international elements where Yash must collaborate with a RAW official, Kamaljeet Kaur, aka KK( Sonakshi Sinha) to nab the mastermind, Shiv Sharma(Tahir Raj Bhasin) behind the grisly killing of three RAW agents in the south-east Asian geography, one of them being a close friend of him. What ensues is a deadly cat and mouse game, with the rampage spilling over the streets, apartments and every possible lanes of Budapest. Trying hard to strike a balance between realism and style, the film grapples with offering some smart and slick moves in execution. The first half boasts of some terrific and amazingly choreographed action and foot chases to a rousing crescendo and a twist at the intermission, but doesn't live up to the expectations as it gets too repetitive and predictable, with a climax that is no less than a 3D video-game extravaganza. The prequel had immense grit and gave us a menacing antagonist whose schemes made us curl up in our seats; here the cunning Shiv outsmarts the team ( Yash, KK) and ridicules them as losers, while the two are still settling on their differences in working styles which unintentionally induces some humor.
At the helm of affairs is John Abraham who is blazingly convincing as he breaks bones and walls and can even lift cars, restricting them to propel forward even though his shoulder is stabbed with a nail. With a beefed-up musculature, he is genuine and fits seamlessly into the action arena while reprising his character who still longs for his dead wife from the prequel. But his character is sadly single-note and John doesn't stretch his histrionics beyond flaring up his nostrils. After Akira this year, Sonakshi takes another shot at action but she is saddled with an under-etched characterization. Unlike ACP Yash, the plot doesn't familiarize us with her.Tahir Bhasin ,is a show-stealer when it comes to acting and this immensely talented guy can make us loathe him for his depiction of sheer wickedness. It's a character that immediately resonates with that he played in Mardaani, but the backstory to show his vulnerable side lacks depth and doesn't strike a chord with us. It's a shame on the writing that a talented actor like Narendra Jha is wasted and relegated to the background and Adil Hussain gets a forgettable cameo.
As a film which positions itself as a tribute to the unsung heroes who die on duty serving covert intelligence operations and face the brunt of apathy their families face when our government disowns them, Force 2 has a diluted impact and doesn't nail the idea. Nevertheless, it is a decent entertainer that offers popcorn potboiler thrills even though failing to conjure up some urgency- inducing moments.
Rating 2.5/5
Mixing facts and fiction, Deo centers his plot on a larger issue with international elements where Yash must collaborate with a RAW official, Kamaljeet Kaur, aka KK( Sonakshi Sinha) to nab the mastermind, Shiv Sharma(Tahir Raj Bhasin) behind the grisly killing of three RAW agents in the south-east Asian geography, one of them being a close friend of him. What ensues is a deadly cat and mouse game, with the rampage spilling over the streets, apartments and every possible lanes of Budapest. Trying hard to strike a balance between realism and style, the film grapples with offering some smart and slick moves in execution. The first half boasts of some terrific and amazingly choreographed action and foot chases to a rousing crescendo and a twist at the intermission, but doesn't live up to the expectations as it gets too repetitive and predictable, with a climax that is no less than a 3D video-game extravaganza. The prequel had immense grit and gave us a menacing antagonist whose schemes made us curl up in our seats; here the cunning Shiv outsmarts the team ( Yash, KK) and ridicules them as losers, while the two are still settling on their differences in working styles which unintentionally induces some humor.
At the helm of affairs is John Abraham who is blazingly convincing as he breaks bones and walls and can even lift cars, restricting them to propel forward even though his shoulder is stabbed with a nail. With a beefed-up musculature, he is genuine and fits seamlessly into the action arena while reprising his character who still longs for his dead wife from the prequel. But his character is sadly single-note and John doesn't stretch his histrionics beyond flaring up his nostrils. After Akira this year, Sonakshi takes another shot at action but she is saddled with an under-etched characterization. Unlike ACP Yash, the plot doesn't familiarize us with her.Tahir Bhasin ,is a show-stealer when it comes to acting and this immensely talented guy can make us loathe him for his depiction of sheer wickedness. It's a character that immediately resonates with that he played in Mardaani, but the backstory to show his vulnerable side lacks depth and doesn't strike a chord with us. It's a shame on the writing that a talented actor like Narendra Jha is wasted and relegated to the background and Adil Hussain gets a forgettable cameo.
As a film which positions itself as a tribute to the unsung heroes who die on duty serving covert intelligence operations and face the brunt of apathy their families face when our government disowns them, Force 2 has a diluted impact and doesn't nail the idea. Nevertheless, it is a decent entertainer that offers popcorn potboiler thrills even though failing to conjure up some urgency- inducing moments.
Rating 2.5/5
