Movie Review - Agent Vinod (Hindi) - Spy thriller with more brawn and less brain!!

The movie starts with an allusion to "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" with the use of harmonica in the opening scene. The premise starts with a bang, like any other Bond franchisee, but what would have become an edge of the seat flick loses its pace with a clichéd plot and meanders through some pretty guessable twists and turns. The story explodes in Afghanistan and the smoke trail leads to places like Russia, Morocco, Delhi, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Somalia, Latvija, London, Cape Town. One can write a nice travelogue after watching the film.

Adding an insult to the injury is Saif Ali Khan in the title role, and he makes nothing but a joke of himself by doing this film. The aim was to present him as a crossover between James Bond and Jason Bourne but he fits neither. AV lacks the spark, the style, and the aura of Bond and the agility of Bourne. But he can be termed as a mixture of wit and sarcasm with his one liners such as "Suna hai kuch paane ke liye kuch 'Khaana' padta hai," "Tumhaari aankhein kisi ka qatl kar sakthi hai par tum nahi." Sometimes, his deliberate attempt to make us laugh makes him tiresome to watch. Kareena makes her way effortlessly, throughout, in an otherwise male-dominated film.

Background music by Daniel George keeps up the pace and complements the spy thriller. AV's signature tune is also perfect. Watch out for the song "Kuch toh hai tujhse Raabta" which is stylishly made in a single-shot sequence. The last song, according to my poor knowledge, in single shot was "Roop tera mastana" from Aaradhana. Director Sriram Raghavan's love for retro and classics can be seen through the movie. His references to Charlie Chaplin, Mahendra Sandhu, Clint Eastwood, Orson Welles are enough to make you think. The credits seem like an ultimate combination of the 70s and modern films. Good news to Rajnikanth and Ilayaraja fans - During a brilliantly shot flashback-intercut-with-real-time-action sequence in Trincomalee, Srilanka "Rakkama" song from Thalapathi can be heard in the background.


Bottom line: Watch "Agent Vinod" at your own risk and only if you need a film to kill your time on a weekend. It has everything - stars, style, budget, action, chases, exotic locations except a "Kahaani."