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Film reviews

Kill Review

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It is an astonishing thriller that holds no limits of mayhem. It is a ride where heads will spin. Every aspect of Kill left me breathless. Written and directed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat, Kill is not one’s typical heist movie. It has moving parts that all come together. It throws fuel to the fire repeatedly and proactively. That is because of its setup of hostages, good guys, bad guys, and a train that is not stopping. Who will make it out alive? Both the good and the bad give everything they have in a train that is a death match for survival.

The film gears on Amrit (played by Lakshya). He is in love with Tulika (played by Tanya Maniktala). Tulika is forced (by her family) to marry a different man. Amrit has a plan to stop this engagement. Amrit joins her on a train heading to New Delhi. However, the halting engagement becomes the least important. Once the train starts to move, it becomes compromised by a gang that is extremely dangerous and lethal. The enemy (behind the criminal operation) is Fani (played by Raghav Juyal). Fani is ruthless and one who terrorizes his feelings of power and authority. Amrit is a trained soldier. When Amrit is in rage mode, he can do lots of damage.

Once people’s lives are on the line, there is more to the moving parts. It is all calculated. The criminals have their eyes on Baldeo (played by Harsh Chhaya). Baldeo is a man of wealth. Fani sees him as one for ransom. The train is a Tetris game. The train has cars in patterns where the ones with Fani are on different ends of the train, and so are the ones with Amrit. The passengers see how life-threatening the conflict is. Everyone does what they can to fight or survive. Once Amrit and Fani do some damage, it is instant death.

The thrilling /vibrations of the film had my heart pulsing. The eyes and rage of Amrit bring that feeling of fear. Amrit’s “fear” evolves into recklessness. It is done right! The film feels like The Raid (2011) meets The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009). That is because hostages are in a tango with massive and never-ending combat. All of which are insane and pushed to the limits. It does with context. The continuity of survival and power keeps getting tested. This aspect begins when the train continues towards dangerous territory. “Dangerous territory” is in all of Kill.

There is a moment where one says, “Think like Ali.” The reference is to the boxer Muhammad Ali. At this moment, one of the groups is trying to find the attitude to fight and continue. Those three words serve as an enticing purpose of the brilliance of Kill. Ali always had hard punches no matter what match, as does Kill.

All the mayhem had me thinking about previous films surrounding India. I thought about the worldwide sensation RRR and Monkey Man. Both of which had stylized mayhem with a structured storyline to keep rising. Kill rises to the depths as well. With similarities (to both films), Kill is the next level of international and cultural suspense. The aspect of battling for connection, importance, family, power, and beliefs is all part of the landscape of the war on board the train. A question kept flowing through my head with Kill. Who is the target if the deadly mission is a success? The mayhem juggles made my head go in circles of stimulation.

With all the factors of lives being on the line and a mission obscured (by Fani and his gang), the train is the conflict. Since it cannot stop, the only way to survive is to keep fighting (until the train reaches its destination). Who will win? Amrit or Fani? Do not miss this one-of-a-kind thriller where the velocity and magnitude of high-octane combat do not stop! It is astonishing and spellbinding. These films are rare to come by. My rating falls at four out of four stars for Kill.

Film reviews

Despicable Me 4

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A bad guy with a family and a swarm of Minions keeps adding joy to this franchise that began fourteen years ago. To be successful, however, the film needed to have the originality expected from the beginning. It also needed to have humorous writing that can connect and create joyful fun and laughs. There are a few of those moments this time around, but not nearly enough. In my opinion, this is the most ridiculous installment of the franchise.

In Despicable Me 4, Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) is with his family which includes Lucy (voiced by Kristen Wiig), Edith (voiced by Dana Gaier), and Agnes (voiced by Madison Skyy Polan). They now have another child named Gru Jr. Navigating the life of a mastermind with a family and the Minions takes a toll on Gru. This time things are a bigger mess because there is a new enemy to compete with Gru. That nemesis is Maxime Le Meal (voiced by Will Ferrell) and his girlfriend Valentina (voiced by Sofia Vergara). Gru and his family are at risk as Maxime is after them. Gru helps his family and the Minions overcome the evils of Maxime and Valentina.

I was not pleased with this film. The humor continued with silliness. Also, creativity is lacking. All of it was original at one point. An enemy competing with another enemy should be a fun plot for a continued franchise. Unfortunately, this film’sapproach disappoints. There is even a scenario where Minions are in the form of steroids. Overall, the message of fun family entertainment crosses the line in ridiculous ways.

The joy in this film is found in the well-known voices of the very talented stars, i.e., Steve Carell, Kristen Wig, and WillFerrell. Their talent provides the most entertainment and laughs. I always find joy in hearing their voices go into full eccentric mode. Especially with Carell who has always been able to use his voice effectively to make snarky comments to his nemeses with a rapid quirkiness. Add both Wiig and Ferrell into the mixand there is a continued galore of catchy dialogue that vibes well. Still, the structure and flow of the film is one of the worst I have seen in some time. While I still love Minions, I expected so much more from the Despicable Me franchise.

The lack of Minions is perhaps the major reason I enjoyed Despicable Me 4 a lot less than I had anticipated. They usually are the ones that sell the films and make the experience so memorable. The Minions normally use their unique voices, their funny behaviors, their timely appearances, and their unexpected disasters that normally make audiences of all ages go bonkers. There is not anything in particular to “go bonkers” about in Despicable Me 4. In this installment, the beloved Minions are almost completely out of the picture and that makes the film almost a complete disaster. Therefore, my rating sadly falls to one out of four stars.

Film reviews

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F Review

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The cop days of Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley still kill in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. Murphy delivers the same egotistical personality that drives the film’s entertainment value through laughs and action. The pacing of Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is on par with the level of expected seriousness in a cop case. Granted it is not overly “serious,” but it is does stay between the lines of humorous and investigative. This time around, Axel is involved in a new mode of investigations with another big other responsibility on top of that…being a father! 

In Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Axel is just being the cop that he usually is in Detroit, Michigan. With Jeffrey Friedman (played by Paul Reiser) working as one of the heads of the police department, the writing of the film is presented like Axel and Jeffrey never left the department after the previous films. For Axel, his next big mission is the responsibility of his daughter Jane (played by Taylour Paige). Jane is an attorney in Beverly Hills, California, and finds herself in a life-threatening conspiracy. Only Axel can help her find the way out of her compromised situation.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F has added more creative moving parts and additional characters to the mix. Another detective joins in to help Axel and Jane find out more about the conspiracy.Detective Bobby Abbott (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a cop new to the game but maintains high integrity while having to break some rules. He is not like Axel. Axel has always broken rules and has gotten away with it successfully.

Axel’s old friends come back into the mix. They include Billy Rosewood (played by Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (played by John Ashton). There is suspicion that causes the audience to wonder if these old friends of Axel can be trusted. The scenario involves hidden cartel operations many of which lead to rapid gunfire moments and crazy high-octane car chases. These action scenes fuel the humor in the heat of the moment throughout this movie.

The character to question is Captain Grant (played by Kevin Bacon) because he is presented as someone with a go with theflow vibe. However, at the same time he seems too nice which appears fishy. Beverly Hills Cop Axel F. has an interesting combination of returning and new characters that come into the mix throughout the film. This leads to a dynamic filled with entertaining cop humor that never gets old.

The contrast of bad cop/good lawyer in the relationship between Axel and Jane is intriguing. Issues of motive and responsibilityare explored. Both characters play their cards differently, but they both must bend rules to get to the bottom of what they are facing. Murphy and Paige are a stunning duo in this film which is a thrilling and continued classic that takes the cake. While it is silly in moments, it is a fun continuation of the original classics. Three out of four stars for Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.