Introduction
It was in September 2017 that an action film was announced by Yash Raj Films starring Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff in the lead roles, and that's what took the Hindi film industry by storm. Two very able action stars and dancers coming together for the first time on screen was a spot on casting and the excitement was very obvious. What followed was the highest grossing Hindi film of 2019, the third film in the Yrf Spyverse, and possibly Tiger Shroff's career best performance to date. War also starred Vaani Kapoor, Ashutosh Rana, Anupriya Goenka, Yash Raaj Singh, and Soni Razdan in supporting roles. Directed by Siddharth Anand, this film solidified him as a proper action direction after Bang Bang in 2014. Even after being six years and a sequel old, here I try to discuss as to why this film is enjoyed by people more than it's successor.
Note: No spoilers as usual
Basic Plot
An Indian soldier is sent to track and hunt down his former mentor, who seems to have gone rogue due to unknown reasons
Positives
Performances and Technicality
I really love it when Hrithik Roshan plays these type of characters.. strongly built, rigged, straight faced, tactical, and ever charming. It's his natural body language that gives his character 'Kabir' so much edge. It feels like the character was written only for him to play and the way he portrays Kabir- it's really difficult to detach him from the character through out the film! The supporting cast does good as well; Ashutosh Rana getting a solid role is always good to watch, but the person who really caught me off guard (in a positive way), is any day, Tiger Shroff. I mean, given his over-reliance on action and dance, it was very obvious that YRF would focus on those aspects only, neglecting his substantially inferior acting skills. Surprisingly enough, not only did YRF give him a layered role to play, but director Siddharth Anand made sure, that he brings out every ounce of Tiger Shroff's acting (even if that's non-existent), and the result was something that blindsided everyone! He really shines in emotional scenes, drama portions, and it's undoubtedly the climax where he really shut everyone up who doubted him.. absolute shocker! Strong performances of these lead duo elevate the film to significant, heights and the rest is handled by the heady concoction of the other aspects.
The technical departments are cool as well; camera work and production design being the front runners. I know Benjamin Jasper's cinematography could've been a bit 'less-shaky' at places, but that's not a big deal. The handheld camera work is nice, and so is the way the action is shot. Talking about the production value, War is one of the most 'good-looking' action film that India has produced. Shot at several locations across different countries, War spans across Tehri Lake, Portugal's roads, Italy's beaches, Arctic Circle's ice, and much more, to give the viewers a globetrotting adventure, that's unapologetically Indian at heart! Unlike YRF's recent releases like Tiger 3 and War 2, this film had a very cleverly used CGI which resulted in crisp and dynamic visuals. Also, the concept of a Hindi film looking like an American one was not very common in 2019, and thus, it worked in favor of the film.
Direction, Screenplay, and Action
You could easily tell upon watching the film that director Siddharth Anand wanted to make things as sleek as possible, which directly had an impact on the action. The board of action directors consisted of names like Parvez Sheikh, Franz Spilhaus, Oh se Yeong, and Craig Macrae, who made sure that all the action sequences are choreographed the way Hollywood does it.. for real! Action with cars, bikes, planes, ships, on water, mid-air, I mean.. the action gives you a legit roller coaster experience on the big screen. The action is choreographed very well; the hand to hand combats being the highlight. Three very specific action sequences that I want to mention are: an aerobics inspired action with Spanish music in the background, the explosive climax featuring only hand to hand combat, and the insane three-minute single take action sequence (Tiger Shroff's entry)... that was amazing! Quirky camera work, good fight choreography, and sleek editing makes sure that the action scenes are really well shot and executed. Director Siddharth Anand does a good job as well in making a film which revolves around a mentor-student relationship, with a non-linear screenplay by Shridhar Raghavan. Not only does he brings out acting from Tiger Shroff, he also makes sure that the lead characters are given an emotional ground in the first place. Apart from the execution portion, what I particularly liked about the story is the way it manages to build a mystery. You see, the trailer gave us a hint about a probable fallout between the lead characters in the film, and while I'm not spoiling the film- the entire mystery concept lends this film a solid edge, as it reveals itself just at the right point in the screenplay, after which the climax begins.
Underwhelming Aspects
Minor Story Logic
While I won't say that the film is brought down by it's own strength (the mystery to be specific), but I believe that the justification needed a bit more cooking. See, Tiger Shroff has a layered character, which he plays well. But as the story unfolds, you realize that Tiger Shroff doesn't play only a single character here. His dual act is half justified, while there's little logic for the other part. One can argue that it's up to the intellect of the audience, but a minimal clarification with a couple of dialogues would've sealed the deal. It feels kind of weird as the thing that Tiger Shroff's other avatar was chasing in the film was right in front of his eyes all along and yet, you see him genuinely finding it through out the film. You could say that it was an intentional call from the director, but it felt a bit less coherent. Although some of the twists are spot on, I personally felt like the others, especially towards the end of the film, seemed like last hour thoughts. I mean, it's not like those twists lack credibility, but their nature suggest that they would've been more impactful if used in a mystery thriller film, rather than an action thriller, where mystery is a screenplay element only. Also, this 'logic' explanation may seem very superficial, and that's such, to not give away spoilers. You would get a clearer picture once you watch the film.
Conclusion
War is a film that packs ample punch for the masses, even if it masquerades it's physical appearance with enough plush and sleek visuals, that looks organic as well. The main strength of this film lies in the emotional angles that it uses in it's sub-plots and the way the film is overall executed. Vaani Kapoor's character doesn't really have a lot of screen presence, but she does fine and it's her character that plays a catalyst to the character arc of Hrithik Roshan, and that's a cool detail. Tiger Shroff's layered act has to be the show stopper among all and hence, this is a film shows how a tight and engaging screenplay can help tell a simple story so well. The climax action is so well staged and choreographed using sharp objects that it's enough for making some people uncomfortable, even with restricted violence. The action is on sheer display, and action film lovers will enjoy every bit of that. 'Khalid kabhi mera student hua karta tha.. ab usse lagta hai ki apne teacher se aage nikal gaya hai' says Hrithik Roshan in the film, but do you really think Tiger Shroff is the boss here ? Coz I don't!
Watch Out For
- Cast Performances
- Action
- Climax
WTF Rating
7.5/10