Commando 2 Movie Review

Vidyut Jamwal built up quite a fan following with his debut performance in Force. He was quite the revelation and a hope was born that he will be the next big Indian action star. Unfortunately, like most ‘industry-outsider’ he didn’t get the opportunity to work in bigger films. His movie Commando was a decent earner in the box office but did better on TV screens. That is probably why the makers decided to make a sequel. Does the sequel go up a level? Let’s find out.

Story: Karanvir Singh (Vidyut) is entrusted with the task of bringing back a money launderer called Vicky Chadha (Anoop Singh) from Malaysia. He is made to partner with cops Bhaktawar (Freddy Daruwala) and a dimwit cop Bhawna Reddy (Adah Sharma) who keeps talking in a weird version of a Hyderabadi lingo. The twist arises when Vicky’s wife (Esha Gupta) claims that they are innocent and tries to entice Karanvir with her seductive charms. What does Karanvir do in the face of adversity? That’s what makes up the rest of the movie.

Screenplay and Direction: Deven Bhojani, who is famous as a TV actor and director, has helmed this film. Unfortunately, he has relied too much on Vidyut’s brawn which stops Commando 2 from ever becoming a memorable film. Having stereotypical characters doesn’t help differentiate the movie from other action films. Also, what pulls down Commando 2 even more is that the action scenes are outnumbered by investigation scenes. The pace suffers because of that.

Commando 2 has been shot on a tight budget and that is pretty much visible in the action choreography. They don’t come across as too real but they do entertain because of Vidyut’s inane ability to pull off even the unlikeliest of stunts. The production design is drab and looks alright if it were a Star Plus show. The editing is decent. There are no songs, which is a good decision but the background music is too jarring and too pedestrian.

Acting: Vidyut Jamwal is a one man show. He’s that good when it comes to action. And what helps his cause even more is that he emotes well too. He may not be the best actor but amidst Bollywood mediocrity, he’s above average. The other actors in the movie don’t do anything exemplary unsurprisingly. Adah Sharma can’t act to save her life and God knows why she was asked to speak in that lingo. Freddy Daruwala is the second brawny man in the movie and he passable work. Esha Gupta hams it up but does her job of looking attractive.

Conclusion: Commando 2 is a movie which would have worked very well about 5-6 years back but will find it difficult to make a mark in the current scenario. It is a below average movie which doesn’t entertain a lot, and the action scenes don’t look realistic. The pace drops off quite a lot in spurts and the climax doesn’t redeem the movie either. It is a sequel which should have remained in the planning stage. And while we are at it, let’s call for a surgical strike on money-grabbing sequels.In short, Commando 2 has very little to offer apart from Vidyut Jamwal’s brilliance when it comes to action and charm.

Pros:

• Vidyut Jamwal’s enigmatic charm
• The angle of bringing back black money

Cons:

• Almost everything else

Rating:2 Star