Solid neo-noir crime caper is full of great surprises
THE neo-noir crime comedy thriller, newly premiered on Netflix, is different from most Bollywood films released in 2022 because it’s surprisingly good.
The twist-laden film is best enjoyed without finding out many details about the plot, before watching it. The story essentially revolves around three blackmailed men working at the same robotics factory, who plot a murder and what happens when things don’t go to plan. With a police investigator hot on his trail and seductress as a seeming adversary, the main protagonist sees his life spiral out of control.
This is a solid Indian adaptation of 2011 Japanese movie Burûtasu no shinzou, which itself was based on a novel. The retro-inspired crime caper cleverly combines a story filled with surprises, with well-crafted characters, great camerawork, and interesting music. You can clearly see the influence of acclaimed Andhadhun director Sriram Raghavan.
Director Vasan Bala makes full use of the great writing as he brilliantly brings each scene to life with clever touches, great use of songs and fine performances from a talented cast playing grey-shaded characters. Although Rajkummar Rao delivers a solid turn as a central protagonist, it is the surrounding characters that add real colour to this multi-layered plot. Huma Qureshi is outstanding as the seductress, who acts as a trigger point for the plot and sets the screen on fire with her smouldering presence. Radhika Apte is brilliant as the laughing investigator, with a hidden side. Other actors, whether in a small or bigger role, are all excellent.
Some scenes are so good that you may want to rewind them, including a brilliant malefemale fight scene to a deliciously dark song.
There are some minor flaws like one of the reveals coming to early, but not enough to stop this from being a must watch movie.