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Attack Movie Review: John Abraham Impresses When It's 'Show Time' But The Film Fails In Its Mission
In one of the scenes in Attack, John Abraham's character Arjun Sheirgill says, "Humare zindagi ke do din bahut khaas hote hai, pehla jis din humne janam liya aur dusra jis din hum jaan jaaye ki humne janam kyun liya."
Likewise, it's interesting to watch John Abraham get an upgrade as a super soldier from his usual vigilante act, but you are left puzzled when the end credits announce that a part two is on the cards. Tick Tick Boom, anyone?
What's Yay: Concept, Action sequences
What's Nay: Lack of emotional connect in the story, lacklustre dialogues
Story
Attack begins on a thrilling note in Rawalakot where a troop of soldiers led by Major Arjun Sheirgill (John Abraham) ambush a group of militants and capture their leader. Cut to a few years later, our hero bumps into a pretty flight attendant Ayesha (Jacqueline Fernandez) and it's love at first 'kiss'.
Post some mid-air romance, coffee dates and pizza binging sessions, Arjun decides to pop the question to his lady love when tragedy strikes our lovebirds. He is confined to the wheelchair and has to rely on his mother even for his ablutions.
On the other hand, a dreaded terrorist, Hamid Gul (Ehlam Ehasas) has a sinister plan in his mind to destroy India. In order to combat his attack, the Indian government along with a young DRDO scientist Saba (Rakul Preet Singh), shortlist Arjun as their modern-day weapon of warfare. With the help of experimental exoskeleton technology which uses artificial intelligence, they transform him into a super soldier.
The rest of the plot revolves around how this one-of-its-kind prototype sets out on a mission for a larger cause.
Direction
The story of a super soldier conceptualised by John Abraham sounds riveting on paper. However, debutant director Lakshya Raj Anand and his co-writers Sumit Batheja and Vishal Kapoor struggle to weave a balanced narrative.
One of the biggest drawbacks of the film is its script which lacks an emotional depth. With the focus mostly on the slick action, Lakshya and his team serve you insipid characters that barely make you 'feel' anything.
Also, the romantic bits featuring John Abraham and Jacqueline Fernandez have more cheese than what you get on a pizza. Their love track sticks out like a sore thumb. However, in the action department, the film deserves an applause. Some of the combat and gunfight scenes have been slickly choreographed and keep you on the edge of your seats.
Performances
John Abraham is at his A-game when he gets to use his fists and go all guns blazing in this film. But when it comes to emotional sequences, the man stumbles a bit. Jacqueline Fernandez barely has anything new to offer. In fact, her track with John simply adds minutes to the narrative. Rakul Preet Singh as the nerdy scientist plays her part well.
This rest of the cast including Prakash Raj, Rajat Kapoor and Kiran Kumar perform what's written on paper. Ehlam Ehsas pulls off a convincing act as the main antagonist.
Technical Aspects
The cinematography by Will Humphris, Soumik Mukherjee and PS Vinod captures the tonality of the film to give you some stimulating moments. Aarif Sheikh's editing is razor-sharp and prevents the unnecessary bloating of the screenplay.
Music
Shashwat Sachdev's background score accelerates the thrills in the film. In terms of songs barring the energetic 'La La La' crooned by Bjorn Surrao and Shashwat Sachdev, none of the other tracks leave a lasting impression.
Verdict
A scene in Attack features Saba (Rakul Preet Singh) explaining to a perplexed Arjun (John Abraham), "Tum hamare pehle subject ho. Hum bhi yeh pattern pehli baar dekh rahe hain." In a similar vein, the audience is the subject here for Lakshya Raj Anand's sci-fi storytelling. The action lovers might lap this up for John's 2.0 version.
We give 2.5 stars out of 5 for John Abraham-starrer Attack.
