'Agent' was in the making for more than 2.5 years. Shot across multiple countries and different parts of India (ranging from the concrete Hyderabad to the scenic Manali), the film is up for a big release this Friday. Here we tell you what 'Agent' is about and whether it is worth a watch.
Story:
The God (Dino Morea) leads the Syndicate, a multinational conglomerate that is determined to take over India. If the Syndicate were to have its way, India will be a ruined wasteland where lawlessness will rule the roost.
Rikki (Akhil) wants to be a RAW spy despite his untrained background. Otherwise jobless in Hyderabad, he is a super-intelligent hacker.
The Devil (Mammootty), who mans the RAW, recognizes Rikki's passion and assigns him an impossible job. The rest of the film is about the triangular clash between the three main characters.
Performances:
Akhil Akkineni was out of place in 'Mr. Majnu'. He was okayish in 'Hello'. It appears that the actor is best suited for sophisticated treatment. 'Agent' understand this to a limited extent and provides him with a stylish canvas. He looks comfortable in his skin. It's not like he is terrific, but he definitely shows gumption.
Sakshi Vaidya, an otherwise untrained actor, is trained in Bharatnatyam. She looks the part of a trainee pilot but the bland love track tests our patience. Here is a passionate debutante laid to waste by unimaginative writing.
The legendary Mammootty shows effort but doesn't get to ground the film. Dino Morea is not the face this film needed. He looks overly generic and his demeanour/antics are jaded. Vikramjeet Virk, Sampath Raj and others are boring.
Crew:
Stunt masters Vijay Master and Stun Shiva fail to anchor the action. They don't let intense portions loosen up. Rasool Ellore's cinematography is average. The luxurious visuals (in bits and pieces) strengthen the film's general grammar. Music director Hiphop Tamizha's songs are unbearable.
Hits:
Akhil's conviction.
Energy in some scenes.
The pre-interval segment.
Misses:
Mammootty's uninventive character.
The outdated trope of a precious container in the seas.
Lacklustre action.
Cardboard negative characters.
Incoherent, forced love track.
The overlong run-time (156 minutes).
Cameos played by the likes of Ajay, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Satya, Bharath Reddy, Raghu Karamanchi.
Deeper Look:
There is an all-powerful and indefatigable multinational crime syndicate but even India's investigative agencies are not aware of its existence. It takes Mammootty's character to educate the powers that be about its operations.
Dino Morea's character utters bombastic lines for no reason. Everything is maximalist here. Three lakh metric tonnes of RDX, he screams. He is described as the most intelligent killing freak out there but nothing in the screenplay does justice to his incredibly evil character.
Akhil's character, for the most part, feels one-dimensional. His fetish for weapons and his unreal proficiency in hacking doesn't make the cut. He says the world he sees is different from what others see. This should have been brought out by the film thoroughly. He has a secret war room from where he does impossible things because, well, he knows the art of ethical hacking.
Sakshi Vaidya's character is reduced to wishing for magic in love while emoting like Ileana at times.
Vox Verdict:
This spy action thriller about an unpredictable and unprofessional spy is predictable and unprofessional.
Rating: 2 / 5
