Pathaan

An action-packed flick from India from the makers of WAR! I visit exotic India once a year, they can also make something slick, but it really has to be a huge hit of blockbuster parameters to entice me and Pathaan is just that. It caught my attention with the trailer and the film itself certainly didn't disappoint. It's a sort of variation on Mission Impossible, slightly over the top in a few scenes (typical of India, but not so much that it becomes annoying or too ridiculous). I definitely appreciate the fact that the film is half an hour shorter than the traditional three-hour Indian running time and also that there are only two dance numbers, and one of them is in the end credits (surprisingly, both dance numbers are good, as they make use of pretty destinations, attractive models and lively music). We have a top agent, played by Shahrukh Khan, looking very good at 57 (women will be tearing their panties off!!), who has to take on a traitor to his own country who plans to destroy it. John Abraham is a great bad guy with decent motivations, commanding respect, dangerous and sneaky, in short a well written villain for an action film. To top it off, Deepika Padukone is one of the prettiest women I've seen in a while, her hypnotic and seductive gaze will put male viewers in a trance and her character exuding sex-appeal induces unstoppable erections several times during the two and a half hours. (+ for the great choice of outfits, the woman is a treasure and manna from heaven!!). I must also praise the great technical aspect and the amazing choice of locations – we see Dubai, Spain, France, Afghanistan, Russia, India and Pakistan. The music is excellent, it adds verve in the action sequences and the entrance of the bad guy with this soundtrack gave me chills. There are a couple of plot twists that can surprise and the emotional side works at times. The last big draw is of course the action itself, there is plenty of it and it is filmed very well. The fights have great cinematography and decent choreography (the highlight for me is the fight with the Russian prisoners on the train, I was drooling with bliss and thinking, this is an Indian version of The Raid!). The shootouts may lack blood and the CGI sometimes hiccupped on the bigger action set-pieces, but you can see better progress in India too, so definitely the biggest progress I've seen in India so far. For me, a very mature and complex piece of filmmaking that reliably entertains for the entire runtime and pulls up a lot with great likeable characters and rip-roaring action. A proper ride for me. 8/10. (03/28/2023)