Kill Review: High-Octane Action on a Train, But Lacks Emotional Punch

An ultraviolent actioner set on a moving train; Kill aspires to be the most violent movie ever in Bollywood. While the film achieves its core intent, the overall outcome is not as spectacular as Sandeep Reddy Vanga's blockbuster Animal (2023), which complimented its blood and gore with a strong emotional angle.

Like Vanga, director Nikhil Nagesh Bhat has a penchant for excruciating violence. He has done it earlier in Apurva (2023), which had Tara Sutaria hacking down her abductors to pulp. In Kill, it is Lakshya Lalwani, who mercilessly slaughters forty plus dacoits on a running train. After all, his lady love (Tanya Maniktala) is murdered by one of them right in front of his eyes!!

The setting for the gut wrenching action is unique here and confined to a train bogie. The violence is certainly not for the weak hearted as I saw the audience squirming in their seats at the near empty Movietime Starcity, Matunga on a Saturday morning show. Having said that, Kill definitely slays it on the action front and deserves full marks in this department. Tarantino would be pleased!!

Sadly, the acute bloodshed and gore is not supported by an emphatic emotional angle. The key characters needed more development before embarking on the train journey... The background score is another letdown. The "Jaako Raakhe Saaiyan" chant as the hero turns his opponents to mincemeat is so godamn '80s!!!

Of the cast, Lakshya is convincing as the vengeance seeking commando. However, he doesn't get any scope beyond his angry aura. I actually recollected the Akshay Kumar- Sunil Shetty of the '90s. Tanya Maniktala is saddled with an underdeveloped role and does best of whatever little she gets to perform. She does look cute and pretty enough to bag her next film. Ashish Vidyarthi leaves a mark as the elderly gang leader Beni. Above all, it is Raghav Juyal, playing the main villain Fani, who steals the show in Kill. His is indeed the true killer performance!!

Kill will largely appeal to the hard core action movie buffs. Surprisingly, the elite critics have bestowed glowing reviews to its gorefest violence. Weren't these same guys trolling Animal for the same reason, a few months ago??!!!

Ratings on some key aspects* :
1. Acting : 3/5
2. Direction : 3.5/5
3. Music : 2/5
4. Story, Screenplay and Dialogue : 2/5
5. Cinematography : 4/5
6. Editing : 4/5
7. Costume Design : 3.5/5
8. Special Effects and VFX : 4/5
9. Action : 5/5
10. Production Quality : 4/5

#SNRating for #Kill : 3 stars out of 5.

- Sumeet Nadkarni

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* - The overall film rating is not a simple average of all ratings on key aspects but a weighted average of the ratings where some crucial aspects (like direction, acting, story and screenplay etc) are assigned more weightage than others.

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#SNRatings barometer:
1 star = Poor
1 & 1/2 star = Below average/ Avoidable
2 stars = Average
2 & 1/2 stars = Above average/ Risk it
3 stars = Good enough/ Endurable
3 & 1/2 stars = Definitely worth a watch
4 stars = Very good
5 stars = Masterpiece/ Outstanding.

2024 SNRatings. 

About Sumeet Nadkarni:

Sumeet Nadkarni is a Chartered Accountant by profession and a self-styled film critic by passion. He reviews Bollywood movies and OTT releases on his popular personal blog #SNRatings. His film-related articles have appeared in leading publications in India. With a keen eye for cinematic detail and a knack for insightful critiques, Sumeet brings a unique perspective to the world of Indian cinema. Follow him for the latest Bollywood insights and unbiased film reviews. #FilmCritique #BollywoodReviewer