WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Money. As it is often called the root of all evil, it seems only fair to focus on incidents and occurrences where this is exactly the case. When those who would utilize nefarious methods to funnel illicit funds to safe havens and offshore bank accounts for ill-gotten gain, it might pay for them to know who could take issue with their practices. In a desperate financial time in India, when large bills are done away with and become useless, bringing much needed relief to those less fortunate, others seek to do everything they can to hide away their wealth in shady accounts. However, one agent, Capt. Karanvir Singh Dogra (Vidyut Jamwal) has a wake-up call for them all. Once again on the path to rid India of its black money trail, Dogra is a one-man force against the law-breakers.
Prime offender, Vicky Chadha (Vansh Bhardwaj), has been whisked away to a safe house, and Dogra is charged with bringing him in to face the music. However, Home Minister Leela Chaudhari (Shefali Shetty) has other plans via sending her own team of Inspector Bhavna Reddy (Adah Sharma), ACP Bhaktawar (Freddy Daruwala), and computer expert Zafar (Sumit Gulati) to capture Chadha, and with whom Dogra reluctantly, but with planned intention, joins with. Soon, the group snags Chadha and his wife Maria (Esha Gupta), but then events take a myriad of unanticipated twists and turns filled with lethal danger, double crosses, false identities, betrayals, and revelations with no one knowing who to trust, what motivations are behind everyone’s decisions, and ultimately which one of them has the greatest secrets to unveil.
Next, my Mind:
Very much following in the mood, tone, and overall execution of this year’s recently released Hollywood actioner “xXx: The Return of Xander Cage”, director Deven Bhojani’s feature film debut, a sequel to 2013’s “Commando”, is nothing short of absolute, over-the-top popcorn entertainment Bollywood style. It’s one wild mix of frenetic action and moments of borderline campy jocularity that actually fit the proceedings to a “T”. For its full 144-minute runtime, the film hurtles along on the wings of truly awe-inspiring martial arts mayhem and gunplay sequences that showcase the lead actor’s skills while providing an almost tongue-in-cheek grouping of characters who are deadly serious in one moment, but then manage to elicit laughs out of the viewer in others, again very similar to “Cage”. Add in the apropos music score and even a touch of playful romance amidst the chaos, and you truly have a full-on Bollywood effort you can just sit back and take in for what it is. Honestly, and this isn’t a bad thing–no thinking required here!
This is my first experience watching Jamwal in action, and to say he is impressive would be an understatement. Highly skilled in a martial arts style he created out of at least 4 others, Jamwal’s Dogra dominates the baddies with bone-crunching, gravity-defying moves that you just cannot help but be entranced by. It is one real adrenaline rush, that’s a fact! Seeing the character’s dogged determination and serious, forceful “persuasion” to end the plague of black money and its perpetrators is exactly what action movies are made for, and Jamwal lives up to this character’s focus very, very well. Plus, Jamwal still illustrates Dogra does have a heart behind all the overt bravado and intensity. Sharma’s Reddy is a riot, as she’s just as much about finding the nearest shopping mall as she is about kicking some serious butt, doing it all as stylishly as possible, of course. Her immediate attraction to Dogra is both hilarious and heartfelt, even if he isn’t exactly going along with her flirtations initially.
Darawala’s Bhaktawar is played as the by-the-books, but very formidable ACP officer who doesn’t really enjoy messing around, wanting to just get his quarry and call it a day. Gulati’s hacker is your understated but affable fish-out-of-water amongst the tough guys (and gal), but is still very endearing. Gupta’s Maria is a true piece of work, and figures into some of the film’s multitude unexpected moments. Shetty and Bhardwaj also play their respective roles well and with intended purpose. Overall, is “Commando 2” a prime example of what Bollywood is capable of, no. But, that isn’t the point really. We all sometimes need that fun, still well-made, uncomplicated, rock-music driven action movie that allows us to totally escape reality, ease into the seat, and just hang on for the crazy, twist-filled ride.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
