An official remake of The Italian Job (2003), Players is a heist film directed by the Abbas-Mustan duo.
Plot:
Charlie’s partner in crime Rhea (Bipasha), an expert hacker Spider (Neil N Mukesh), a make-up artist (Omi Vaidya), an illusionist (Bobby Deol) and an explosive specialist (Sikandar Kher) join Charlie to steal the gold. And when this team of players accomplish their mission, Spider spoils the game.
Analysis:
The movie takes off and you wait for some 30 minutes for the whole cast to assemble. The first half goes in a slow pace and looked a bit messy or probably incomplete. But then there is some smart unintended humor to prevent you from boredom. The movie becomes engaging after the interval and you are treated with a decent amount of twists and turns, though few were expected.
I guess, the director was pretty confused as to what and what not to retain from the original. He wanted the movie to connect with Indian audiences, he wanted to please the glamour seeking crowd, he wanted the movie to be youthful while maintaining the action pace.
Cinematography and aesthetic locations please your eyes. There are enough of chase-runs and car races to bring in the action element. Betrayals and emotions make it melodramatic. Johnny Lever and Omi Vaidya entertain us. And music did neither good nor bad to this movie.
Actors:
Abhishek Bachchan was apt. Neil N Mukesh did a commendable job. Bipasha looked great and performed as per the requirement. The ultra glam Sonam wasn’t as expressionless as I expected. Johnny Lever was good and Omi Vaidya did his bit. Bobby Deol and Sikandar Kher were there for a glimpse. Vinod Khanna was regular.
The plus:
- The style and sleekness in Costumes, Locations, and Cinematography
- Neil N Mukesh
- Johnny Lever’s character
The minus:
- Confused direction
Final word:
So many ingredients together made for an okay entertainer, but not a knock-down one which you expect. I will go with a 2.75 out of 5.
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