Emraan Hasmee teams up with Bhatt Camp once again after the success of GANGSTER. The next movie from them was always awaited given the success of Gangster. So does THE KILLER live upto expectations? No!
Emraan Hasmee is a cab as he picks up fares and shares dreams of his own. He works in Dubai and can ramble off directions, streets of the same city quicker than most of us can name our own family members. He has dreams of starting up his own business and the night had started like any other.
Emraan Hasmee and Irfaan both meet innocently enough. Irfaan is looking for a ride, and Emraan Hasmee just became available. Irfaan reveals that he has five stops to make and offers Emraan Hasmee 2000 Dubai RS to rent his services for the whole night. Emraan Hasmee accepts the more the offer, and a late night rampage is then born.
At their first stop, Emraan Hasmee is minding his own business when a body falls on the roof of his car from a window. Emraan Hasmee’s emotional confusion over the event is tempered by the calm demeanor of the now reappearing Irfaan.
In but a few moments, Emraan Hasmee puts the pieces of the murdering puzzle together and realizes that he has been driving a killer to his prey. This realization transforms Emraan Hasmee into a victim who is essentially kidnapped and forced to drive from kill to kill until the night’s work is complete.
The movie then follows the travels of the two participants as investigators and feds try and get a jump ahead of the contracted killer and as Emraan Hasmee tries desperately to free himself from his abetting actions.
Truthfully, I found The kiler to be one of the more lackluster thrillers made in recent time. I am rather astounded at the praise Taran Adarsh has given to this movie. By no means do I think it is a terrible movie; it has its fair share of merits and I credit director Hasnain S Hyderabadwala, Raksha Mistry for trying to focus on the film’s atmosphere and psychology. Yet I found it to be, for the most part, a predictable, thriller more suited for the television .
From a writing point of view writers had the perfect story which could translate onto the Indian screen very well with its nail bitting moments and they manage to copy Collateral almost identically. However the screenplay goes completely haywire and fails to connect with the viewer. The screenplay abounds in a number of unlikely and forced situations which just don’t seem realistic and fail to digest with the viewer. It seems like the writers have rushed their job and in attempt to do a direct Hollywood to Bollywood copy they have left out the fundamental things which made Collateral work.
The film’s greatest attribute lies in its superb performances from the two leads. Both Emraan and Irfaan gave commanding performances and their stellar chemistry shows even during the film’s dullest moments. Nisha Kothari looks sensual but that it is!
All up where does that leave The killer? Well a disappointing movie.