Gangster

Written and directed by Anurag Basu, the film follows the romantic yearnings of Simran (Kangana), who falls in and out of love with two men, gangster Daya (Shiney Ahuja) and singer Aakash (Emraan Hashmi). Her eventual choice tears apart all three lives.

A gripping (and original) story told with great flourish by the

Murder maker. Apart from a tight structure, the flash forwards at the beginning and at the half-way mark, and the well-disguised twist in the tale keeps the viewer on the edge.

Real and believable performances mark the high energy levels of the film. Emraan kisses (of course, he does) but this time he deserves the lip service thanks to his charmingly restrained demeanour. Even though her dialogue delivery grates at times, Kangana makes an assured debut as the madam in the middle. Searingly silent, Shiney comes up with the perfect follow-up to his stunning debut in Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi.

Pritam?s music works wonders. Whether it is the sugarcoated Lamha lamha, the lyrical Tu hi meri shab, the angst-filled Bheegi bheegi or the haunting Ya ali.

Cinematographer Bobby Singh makes some use of the virgin locations of Seoul, from the rooftops of skyscrapers to the bustling bylanes.

There are major continuity lapses at several places in the film and the last shot, straight out of Yash Chopra?s mustard fields album, is so unnecessary.

Last word: A blockbuster of a budget movie.

Washington and Owen in Inside Man, releasing end-May

Inside Man

Spike Lee returns with a Dog Day Afternoon for tomorrow. Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) and his team have ?around 50? hostages inside a bank but as Detective Frazier (Denzel Washington) finds out, they may not be interested in robbing the bank. Also, the bank owner (Christopher Plummer) assigns specialist Madeline White (Jodie Foster) to fish out ?something important? from one of the lockers in the bank.

A great middle-of-the-road film from Lee. While he ventures into commercial terrain after years, he doesn?t muzzle his inner voice. The format may be mainstream and thrilling to say the least but he does raise questions of race and gender during the hostage interrogations.

Delightful performances by the entire cast keep you glued to the otherwise familiar basic plot. Lee-favourite Washington is a treat to watch as the very human sleuth on a mission. Owen, who has a mask hiding his face for a major part of the movie ala Hugo Weaving in V for Vendetta, is at his ruthless best. It?s a relief to see Foster not playing the harried and horrified mom for a change and living the role of a no-nonsense professional problem-solver.

In a big victory for Bollywood, the film opens and closes with two versions of Dil Se?s Chhaiyya chhaiyya. While the film really does nothing to justify the usage, with Lee, you do not look for explanations.

The film does not take off until the negotiations start between Owen and Washington and also tends to become repetitive at certain stages, redeemed by the twists in the tale.

Last word: Later this month, watch an elaborate bank robbery where not a buck is robbed.