FORCE 2 STORY: Shiv Sharma(Tahir), a mole in the Indian Embassy of Budapest is leaking information about RAW agents. Inspector Yash(John) and RAW agent KK(Sonakshi) must hunt him down and bring him to justice.
The thing that works in Force 2’s favour is pacing. In spite of a familiar story, the action sequences are timed perfectly and executed stylishly; there are no songs except for a recreation of Kaante Nahi Kat-te, which moves the story along. Most of the climax sequence is shot like a first-person shooter game which is a refreshing experiment.
But the experiments stop there. The story is excruciatingly generic. A mastermind has an ulterior motive behind betraying his nation; the heroes must then strike a balance between morality and vengeance.
John Abraham is intense and impressive when he’s breaking jaws and lifting cars, Tahir Raj Bhasin(in an extension of his Mardaani role) is good and shows his vulnerable side. Sonakshi Sinha’s half-hearted performance, however, can be partly blamed on her annoyingly underwritten character. KK is the worst-trained RAW agent without an iota of intuition who has to be told to do everything. It’s your usual arm-candy role, padded with a layer of faux feminism.
It’s a decent time at the cinema for the thrill-seekers; the action won’t disappoint. Go ahead and may the force be with you!
CAST: John Abraham, Sonakshi Sinha, Tahir Raj Bhasin
DIRECTION: Abhinay Deo
DURATION: 2 hours 26 minutes
John Abraham seems to be at home in this bone-crushing action film. But in the acting department, he delivers little more than fixed stares, often accompanied by gnashing of teeth. Basically, he’s India’s Vin Diesel. Albeit, with a little more hair and a little less smug. Sonakshi Sinha, who impressed with her devastating blows in Akira, barely gets to jump into the action. And while her character hopes to shatter stereotypes, when the action gets heated, she’s either not around or is shielded by her male partner. Tahir Raj Bhasin is largely bearable but in certain scenes, he goes from acting school reject to blood-smeared SRK from Anjaam.
While director Abhinay Deo sticks to the tropes, the film goes south in its reveal, which barely lives up to the buildup.
If you’re in the mood for a no-brainer where a lot of people succumb to bullets or are flattened under vehicles, rent a Jason Statham movie instead.