Race 2 review

Release date: 25 Jan 2013

Director : Abbas-Mustan

Rating : 3/5

Producer : Ramesh S. Taurani, Ronnie Screwvala

Music Director : Pritam

Starring: Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone,John Abraham,Jacqueline Fernandez

 

Director duo Abbas Mustan, have been making thrillers right from the start of their careers. They have become specialists in this genre, and have churned out hits after hits. The 2008 super hit film Race, can be termed as one of their biggest hit in terms of thrills and action.

After the success of Race, they are back once again with its sequel Race 2. The film boasts of a huge star cast in Saif, John Abraham, Deepika Padukone, Jacqueline Fernandez, Amisha Patel and the evergreen Anil Kapoor. The trailers have caught on hugely, and the film has finally released today. Let’s see how it fares.

Story:

The story continues where it was left back in Race. Ranveer Singh(Saif Ali Khan) is a happy man who lives with his wife (Sonia) Bipasha Basu. One fine day Sonia gets killed in a bomb blast. Ranveer Singh chases down the culprits, only find out that a powerful and rich Armaan Mallik(John Abraham) is behind the murder. Ranveer cleverly plans a revenge against Amraan, with the help of his close friend RD(Anil Kapoor) and his assistant Cherry(Amisha Patel).

He flies down to Turkey and successfully manages to win Armaan Mallik’s trust, by wooing his sister Alina(Deepika Padukone). Both Armaan and Ranveer together plan for a huge illegal deal, and when they are making plans to execute this deal, Armaan comes to know that Ranveer has actually come to take his revenge. Rest of the story is how Ranveer and Armaan out do each other, and finally who wins the ultimate Race to the finish.

Positive Points:

Race 2 is high in style and attitude. The whole look of the film is awesome. Stylish costumes, stunning locales and high production values are surely worth a mention. Saif Ali Khan takes the cake once again in the film, and gives stunning performance. The introduction scenes of all the stars have been shot extremely well, especially Saif’s  entry. Race 2 has all the thrills, twists and turns that all Abbas Mustan films have.

John Abraham suits his role well, and makes a decent effort. He impresses highly with his chiseled body and is a perfect opponent for Saif. Deepika Padukone and Amisha Patel have nothing much to do but provide the necessary glamor quotient. John’s fight sequence with a foreigner, is well shot and showcases John’s body ultimately.

The twists and turns and all the suspense elements have been maintained decently. First half of the movie is crisp and moves on very swiftly. Anil Kapoor once again does an wonderful job, and brings the comic element to the whole film.

Negative Points:

Though Race 2 has everything from thrills, twists and stunning actors, it always reminds you of Race. One could easily get a feel what is going to happen next in the movie. The second half become obvious, and loses its plot in some places. John character could have been designed more edgily. In many scenes his character lacks the punch and is not given the necessary emphasis  which a villain needs to have in these kind of thrillers.

Climax has been dragged out and the film loses its way in the second half. Some scenes like the robbery episode could have been completely chopped off. Race 2 will mainly suffer because of the fact that it only reminds you of Race again and again.

Technical Aspects:

Abbas Mustan’s movies have always been high on technical values, and Race 2 is no exception. It has beautiful locales, stunning camera work and well designed stunts. Songs in the movie are decent, and especially the ‘Party on my mind’ song. The stunts in the movie are surely above Bollywood standards and specially the chase scene involving Saif Ali Khan.

Camera work is top notch, and showcases Turkey beautifully. The actors have been showcased well and the look designed for them is also worth mention. Dialogues are apt, and so is the editing. Abbas Mastan’s screenplay is disappointing in Race 2. He does not hold the audience right till the end. The thrill and interest which is built up in the first half subsides drastically in the second.

Verdict:

On a whole, Race 2 is one film which has all the trappings of a decent thriller. Stunning actors, great locations and some suspense elements are sure shot plus points. On the flip side, striking similarity to Race, and a dodgy second half completely spoil the fun. Finally, if you have not watched Race and do not mind watching huge multi-starrers with songs, dance and unexpected twists Race 2 can surely be given a shot.