Blunt force trauma: Force 2 review by Anupama Chopra

This is the kind of film in which the villain plays the harmonica as bodies are flung about. Go in preparing for mindless fun and you’ll still be disappointed.

FORCE 2

Tahir Raj Bhasin, who plays the villain Shiv, is a compelling actor but even he can’t do much with a character so generic and underwritten.

Direction: Abhinay Deo

Actors: John Abraham, Sonakshi Sinha, Tahir Raj Bhasin

Rating: 2 / 5

Around the world, RAW agents are dropping like flies. One dies in such a grisly motorbike accident that his head and body are lying on the road, entirely disconnected.

Who you gonna call? ACP Yashwardhan of course!

For those who haven’t seen the first film, Yash is a ‘satkela’ Mumbai cop who can stop the bad guys from getting away simply by lifting up the rear end of their car. His arms are a ball and chain. There is no escape.

This is actually the most convincing part of Force 2. I totally believe that John Abraham can lift a car or crush dozens of men with his bare hands even when he has a long metal nail embedded in his shoulder — though I did wonder if the ACP had had his tetanus shot.

It’s the rest of the film that is difficult to process.

John powers through armed with his jaw-dropping muscles, limited acting skills and ferocious sincerity. Sadly, sincerity is never enough.

Writers Parveez Shaikh and Jasmeet K Reen resort to the age-old formula of mismatched partners. So the tough-talking, mildly unhinged ACP is forced to team up with a rule-following RAW agent, KK, who turns out to be a woman. She likes preparation and thoughtful investigation. He describes his working style as “gut feel, aggression, common sense”.

Together they must unravel the mystery before more agents are bumped off.

Director Abhinay Deo starts out well by throwing us straight into the action — several agents are killed before the opening credits end. It’s breathlessly quick and instantly intriguing. But the excitement soon fades.

Yash and KK are dispatched to Budapest, where an elaborate cat-and-mouse game begins. Force 2 has very little logic. Which I have no problems with! I was ready for popcorn entertainment with a few good lines, snazzy visuals and the adrenaline of espionage. But the film became a slog.

Take the idea of the female RAW agent as Yash’s boss. It’s terrific and has the potential for comedy and drama. But the friction soon fizzles out — mainly because KK is such a lame character. Sonakshi Sinha has proven that she can be an entirely convincing action star, but here she is saddled with the character of a dreary, timid woman who rarely takes the lead.

Sonakshi Sinha is a proven action star, and there is so much potential in the idea of a woman RAW agent as the hero’s boss. Sadly, her main job in this film seems to be spelling out the obvious.

KK’s main job seems to be spelling out the obvious. So at one point, as she and Yash are driving around furiously trying to save an agent, she says something like: “Agle agent ko bachane ko sirf das minute hain. We have to move fast.” Or, after a huge setback, she solemnly declares: “This is bad, Yash.” We would have never guessed!

Force 2 is the kind of film in which the villain — Shiv, played by Tahir Raj Bhasin — plays the harmonica while bodies fly around him. The action sequences are elaborate and nicely choreographed, but they seem to run on endlessly. I got exhausted just watching John chase Tahir all over Budapest rooftops.

Tahir is a compelling actor but his character is both broad and underwritten. And, incredibly, despite the cartoonish lack of depth, the film wants to position itself as a serious statement on the unsung heroes of India.

John powers through all of this armed with his jaw-dropping muscles, limited acting skills and a ferocious sincerity. Sadly, sincerity is never enough.

Watch the trailer for Force 2 here