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Afterthoughts
This was quite a show! Out of all the movies I've watched so far, this one had the highest level of polish and style. It was well-directed, well-acted, and overall just well done. I was very pleased with this film.
Amitabh Bachchan was outstanding as Anant. You really get the sense that he is a man of duty and honor, and only wants to do what is right. The viewer easily gets the impression that he is an aging lawman that really wanted to make a difference, and we could sense his frustration with the system and the people he dealt with. In particular, the scene where they are leaving the hospital through the rioters effectively conveyed his passion and anger. A great performance.
Ajay Devgan was obviously having a lot of fun being the bad guy, Angre. He carried a definite sense of cool and control no matter what was happening. Even after a solid beating he always had a moment to pause and light up a smoke. Even at the very end, he seemed more disappointed and puzzled than afraid or upset. Overall a good job, and an effective villain.
Aishwarya Rai didn't have as much to do in this movie as I initially thought she would. Then again it was a cop drama about our main characters, and she wasn't a cop. As a romantic interest for Shekhar, she did a good job. The actors played well together and had a believable chemistry. She's also good at provoking the proper reactions from the audience when she needs to. Well played.
Good ol' Akshay Kumar did not disappoint as Shekhar. He was badass as Atul, and he's just as badass here. I liked him more in this film, as he was allowed to show off some of his comedic skills as well as his physical ones. I look forward to seeing more of his work in the future.
Tusshar Kapoor was the most interesting character from my point of view. I found his transformation to be simultaneously very cool and also very tragic. I had no idea how he was going to end up, and was very impressed with the direction his character took.
Negatives:
I had hoped that this movie would change my impression of the police in India, but it didn't. I'm fascinated by how they are portrayed in the movies, and am curious to know if things are really like this.
Not that this is a big negative for me, but for some this film might be a bit on the violent side. Lots of people are shot and beaten up. The stadium scene in particular was pretty gory.
The scene for "Kaisa Jadoo" was out of nowhere, and really only slowed things down. It's a fine song, but it's placement and timing just seemed a bit off.
What happened to Mhatre? The last we hear of him, he's been sent to investigate Bhaskar's family. He reports on them, then that's it for him. He's not even in court for the trial!
Positives:
Polish, polish, polish. Every scene in this movie was so much nicer than most of the other ones I've seen from a technical standpoint. Clear images, good framing, quick, clean editing. Very well done.
Good music! There wasn't a single song in this movie that I disliked. We also got a nice wide variety of selections, from some quieter romantic songs to fast-paced dance numbers. The background songs for the travel and funeral scenes were also very good.
Great acting! Even the smallest roles were played to the hilt, and no one stood out as being cheesy or annoying. High marks all around.
Good action! The shootouts in particular are quickly cut with lots of frenetic action that really put you in the scene. The town square battle at the beginning really grabbed my attention.
The ending! I had no idea that was coming, and it was chilling. Some might argue that it was a bit of a leap for him to take, but if the viewer pays attention throughout the movie, we are often given little cuts and reaction shots that could lead up to a change in persona like that. I was very surprised and pleased to see they went a different direction. In fact, the ending was what made me want to do the write-up of this film.
For this film I will use the nut and bolt from the rail of the van as the rating icon. Why? Because that ending was just that cool.
Khakee (2004)
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