KILL
India, 2023, 105 minutes, Colour.
Lakshaya, Raghav Juyal.
Directed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat.
A 2020s Indian action thriller which was very successful at the box office and the rights sold for an American remake.
Audiences interested in Indian Cinema but not having an extensive background, perhaps limited to Bollywood style dramas, romances and musicals, the more serious dramas Bangor watch and I, this is an example of the popularity of aggressive action dramas, fighting heroics, violence, some brutality, an increasing intensity moving towards going over the top. And, it has an accessible 105 minutes running time rather than the more lengthy running times of Indian films.
Basically, this is the story of a train journey, a wedding party on the train, the background of the hero and his attraction to a woman who has been pressed into a forced and arranged marriage. He is military trained, as a military friend on the train.
The screenplay also focuses on a young man, scouting for the train, in contact with his father, looking patriarchal but a fierce leader as it turns out, violent, who has a huge team of bandits who eventually attack and board the train.
There are scenes of the robbing of the passengers. There is the closing of each carriage of the train, especially the trapping of the bridal party. The motivation of the bandits his fears, the leader is often angry with his moody and aggressive son, the son actually killing the bride halfway through the film, and the tension then building up, the hero out to avenge the death, to rescue the bright sister, no holds barred.
The fights are deliberately choreographed, given the confines of the compartments and corridors on the train, but with some action on the roof, and one held out from the carriage. And the weapons are physical, knives and sharp equipment rather than guns.
The cumulative effect of the experience is quite bloody, calculated for eager fans. With the audience can identify with the hero, especially working with his friend who is often wounded and becomes the target of the bandits, the villain is completely unlikable (even to his father eventually).
Indian action filmmaking.
