A spy-fi spanning 3 continents and 12 countries, one of Bollywood’s most dependable actors – Saif Ali Khan with Shriram Raghavan’s writing and direction and 2 chart busters made Agent Vinod a highly anticipated watch. I thought my review caption would say ‘Move over James Bond, aamcha Agent Vinod is here’ Kaash!
Agent Vinod(AV) is the story of(yes) Agent Vinod who traverses the globe, spraying bullets, witty on liners, fighting goons, decoding his adversary’s next move to foil a sinister plan - a nuclear bomb explosion that would jeopardize peace and business in the world. So what location has been chosen for executing this horrific plan? Who has planned it? Why? Even if you feel compelled to seek answers to these questions, don’t watch the movie.
The movie’s biggest let down is its lethargic script. A spy-fi makes for a fantastic story with plot-level/scene-level twists and turns, double crosses, cool gadgets and edge of the seat action. But, there’s nothing like that in the script save meaningless double crosses and lot of dishum dishum. We are never made to feel the gravity of the evil intentions and its devastating consequences. Even the reveal is so late that by that time, we are no longer interested.
There’s nothing intelligent or exciting in the story. Multiple cities and characters are used as props to ensure there’s enough space for double crosses. They never lead to a plot level twist. The movie runs close to 3 hours and moves from one action sequence to another in different cities without relief. The chart buster ‘Pyaar ki pungi’ would have brought the much needed relief in the narration but that too comes along with the credit roll at the end!
AV relies purely on raw power, brazen instincts and luck to solve problems. We would have loved him to be sharper and more flamboyant. Adding an exploitable medical emergency or an Achilles heel would have made AVs character and the story absorbing.
Saif Ali Khan suits well as a secret agent though the story lets him down. Kareena Kapoor thrives in her role of a woman caught in the crossfire. Other characters played by Prem Chopra, Ram Kapur, Ravi Kishen, Dhritiman Chatterji, Zakir Hussain are all good.
While C.K.Murleedharan’s cinematography is good, Daniel George’s background score is exemplary. Pritam gives us two chart busters ‘Pyaar ki Pungi’ and’Dil mera muft ka’ and Pooja Surti edits crisply.
Shriram Raghavan(Johnny Gaddar) is an intelligent director which shows in his dialogues(co written by him) and his execution of the movie. However, it’s not just baffling but also disappointing him overlooking not just the essentials of a spy-fi but even the essentials of a great story i.e. a great story!
2 for its smart dialogues and outstanding background score. Agent Vinod is a tiresome narration of an uninteresting story. Skip it.