Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Genre: Action
Year: 2024
Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat
Cast: Lakshya, Tanya Maniktala, Ashish Vidyarthi, Harsh Chhaya, Raghav Juyal
Kid rating: PG-15
Reviews had Kill at violent and violent it is. Probably one of the most violent Hindi films I’ve ever seen, thanks to the array of gory bone-crunching, blood-splattering, knife-twisting visuals and Foley sounds. Still, engrossing, and well worth a watch.
Army commando Captain Amrit Rathod (Lakshya) comes home after a mission to frantic calls by girlfriend Tullika (Tanya Maniktala, whom we last saw as the winsome Lata in A Suitable Boy); she is being forced into an engagement to another man. Rathod rushes to her aid, but she won’t budge; the engagement shall go through now to save face for powerful Daddy – Baldev Singh Thakur – and then be broken.
The next day Tullika and family are returning to their hometown via train. Rathod and bumchum pal Viresh Chatwal (Abhishek Chauhan, who did a stellar job in the recent Mast Mein Rehne Ka) are on the same train, but a surprise attack by a large gang of bandits, puts them into commando-ing mode, especially when the bandit leaders realize they have the powerful Baldeo Singh Thakur and family to hold as hostages.
Then, the killing spree begins. Amrit, in fit fighting form despite numerous knife fights with the numerous bandits, manages to almost single-handedly disarm them (Viresh is grievously injured early on). Until the tables start turning. Will Amrit manage to win this battle?
Kill is a condensed action thriller, packing tons of gore, blood, and various weaponry (hammers, knives, hatchets, guns, rifles etc.) into 1 hour 45 minutes. It is intense. There are no songs, additional melodrama or moments of levity to dilute the pace. All we get as a let-up are snatches of Tullika and Amrit’s romance; little flashbacks, foils to the present blood-letting.
Lakshya makes a worthy debut as indefatigable warrior Captain Rathod, although a few acting lessons wouldn’t go amiss. Ashish Vidyarthi as the gang leader, Raghav Juyal as Fani his bloodthirsty son and vetersn tv artist Harsh Chhaya as Baldeo Singh Thakur are marvelous and really bring the intensity home. Tanya Maniktala, unfortunately, has little to do except bat her eyelashes and maybe wield a knife or too.
Kill is an engrossing, well-paced tale. There is not a weak moment, although you might be cringing or closing your eyes for most of it, so gory does it get. If you enjoy this genre, this is your film. For everyone else, this is probably still worth your time.
Kidwise: Caution – extremely violent, for almost the entirety of the film.
