Doesn't Quite have the Edge
'Murder 2' joins a long list of Bollywood sequels which have nothing to do with the original film other than the attempt of the producer trying to ...read more
'Murder 2' joins a long list of Bollywood sequels which have nothing to do with the original film other than the attempt of the producer trying to cash in on the goodwill earned by the first film. Honestly they might as well call this 'Gutted in Goa'.
There are more than a few things which I found worthy in 'Murder 2' and an equal number of things which made me absolutely cringe, but overall its not all that bad.
Arjun (Emraan Hashmi) is a private detective in Goa who used to be on the police force ages ago but quit after an incident. He's offered a case of missing prostitutes by a local pimp who promises to reward him handsomely if the problem is resolved soon. Arjun gets cracking after this 'Jack-the-Ripper' style killer, while at the same time getting cozy with a model, Priya (Jacqueline Fernandez) who he treats as nothing more than a moll. The killer is revealed pretty early on, Dheeraj (Prashant Narayanan), for some reason picks up prostitutes, tortures them and then dumps their bodies in the dry well nearby in plastic bags. Arjun figures he needs a bait to catch the killer and this idea of his puts at risk the life of a young girl, Reshma (Sulagna Panigrahi) and now it's upto him alone to save her.
First the good news; the strongest reason to watch this movie is Prashant Narayanan, he owns the movie hands down. There is such unforced menace in every move of his that it would be difficult to forget this performance easily. Five minutes after having the movie everything but his performance and Emraan Hashmi's ridiculous hairdo were the only two things that stuck with me. This guy is creepy with a capital "C" and the way he hums a much popular song from the first film only adds to the effect considerably.
Now the bad news; the lack of focus coupled with the poor writing in parts pretty much makes many of the loopholes in the script more than a tad obvious. Plus the movie in now way justifies its two hour plus running length especially after the lean & mean pre-interval section. The whole gathering of proof plot, that occupies majority of the post-interval section, gets tedious and seems only like a ploy to pad up the running length. Even the so called romance between Arjun & Priya lacks any sort of sizzle or warmth. Someone please tell the Bhatts that loads of skin show does not equal sex appeal.
'Murder 2' is a film that outstays its welcome by atleast a good 30 minutes and probably the only thing that stands out is Prashant Narayanans performance. Give it a miss in the theatres and watch it on DVD instead.
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