It’s a John Abraham show with high-pounding action sequences and remarkable VFX. But the film keeps logic at a bay.
Name: Attack: Part One
Director: Lakshya Raj Anand
Rating: 2/5
India has never attempted to create a Hollywood-style film. Most of the films made so far are usually high on action. But Lakshya Raj Anand's Attack: Part One not just gives an adrenaline rush but has utilised VFX to the best of the abilities. It, in fact, gives Bollywood a hope that the Indian cinema too can stand out in this aspect.
But there isn't anything more to the film besides the action and the use of VFX. Attack: Part One is extremely predicable. One can understand the plot within minutes. Don’t expect any thrill as the story unfolds because the director hasn’t delivered something out of the ordinary in storytelling.
The story revolves around a heartbroken Indian Army soldier, Arjun Shergil (John Abraham), who loses his girlfriend (Jacqueline Fernandez) to a terror attack and also gets paralysed (below the waist) in it. While succumbing to his new life, a defence ministry official (Prakash Raj) approaches Arjun to get a chip, powered by artificial intelligence (AI), inserted in the nape of his neck. Arjun agrees and Dr. Saba (Rakul Preet Singh), the creator of the super soldier, inserts the chip. This transforms an already-fit but wheelchair-bound Arjun into a super-fit soldier who can walk, run and kill goons alone.
The film's direction is spot on and the editing is crisp. But one cannot ignore the several points that have been overlooked while filming the scenes. The film shows an attack on the Parliament of India as the core subject. For starters, if this would have been true, the entire Delhi-NCR would be on a high alert. On the contrary, you will see cars roaming freely on the roads.
Also, the lack of men in uniform at the site of the attack makes us question the seriousness of the attack. Another scene also shows Arjun single-handed knocking off terrorists. Also, despite outnumbering Arjun in numbers (people and weapons), the terrorists miss at firing bullets and ignore his presence on occasions when they can clearly see him. At one point, it would feel as if you are playing a game of PubG.
However, not everything is flawed. In terms of its running time, the film delivers fairly. The first half of the movie is entertaining. The director hasn’t wasted time in building the story. Thankfully, John isn’t showing only his muscles, lifting cars, crushing villains’ heads, throwing bikes and rhyming sentences. His chemistry with Jacqueline looks great and he has excelled emotional scenes to perfection.
It’s the second half that becomes painful to watch. Lakshya hasn’t done enough to justify the climax (it is an anti-climax). Rakul has not done justice to her role.
Among the supporting cast, Ratna Pathak Shah has done a great job as Arjun’s mother. Rajit Kapur as a next biggie after the Prime Minister has also proved his mettle. However, Prakash Raj and Kiran Kumar (as army chief) have not been utilised to their potential.
Overall, Attack: Part One could have been a great movie had the director spent some time in fixing the flaws. If you are thinking of watching it, don’t think logically. Just enjoy the action sequences, VFX and the chemistry between John and Jacqueline.