Commando 2 movie review: Vidyut Jammwal's stunts hold, but the film lacks heart

Commando 2
Cast: Vidyut Jammwal, Adah Sharma
Director: Deven Bhojani
Rating: 2/5

When the makers of 2013 film Commando decided to return with a sequel, it seemed like a good idea simply because the audience hadn’t forgotten the sheer intensity of the action scenes.

In addition to this, Vidyut Jammwal was coming back as Commando Karanveer Singh Dogra. He had impressed with his Kalaripayattu-inspired combat skills in the original. So, it was quite natural to expect more from him.

The shooting locations were also changed from Punjab to Thailand in order to give it a more international feel, unfortunately, nothing could replace a badly planned screenplay.

If the first instalment had a menacing villain in Jaideep Ahlawat, this one is more about a theme: Demonetisation and black money deposited in foreign banks. This means the supporting cast has to excel because there is not one person to take care of the proceedings.

A ‘hawala’ racketeer Vicky (Thakur Anoop Singh) operates from the Malaysia-Thailand border and is responsible for siphoning off corrupt Indian businessmen’s money. The Indian government, under the leadership of home minister Leela (Shefali Shah), has handpicked a team to bring the culprits back.

A loyal and government-friendly ACP Bakhtawar (Freddy Daruwala) is the leader of the pack. Karanveer Singh Dogra (Vidyut Jammwal) is the last minute entry into the team that also has encounter specialist Bhavna Reddy (Adah Sharma) and hacking expert Zafar Hussain.

However, major trust issues and intra-team contentions make this group a soft target against a syndicate that can predict their every move.

Well, this is how Commando 2 was intentioned. Unfortunately, the film is not even remotely close to it. At the most, it can be said to be a bumpy ride with occasional action outbursts from Jammwal.

When we meet a soft-spoken, unassuming Captain Dogra, we know he is going to throw some punches out there. All he requires is an opportunity. Deven Bhojani, the director, doesn’t disappoint us and put him straightway on work. Apparently, this is Taiwan where he dodges thousands of bullets and kills hundreds of men. It seems something is holding Jammwal back. Maybe he is waiting for the right opportunity to go complete berserk.

Meanwhile, Adah Sharma takes charge and shines in comic scenes, but the lacklustre screenplay doesn’t help much.

Action scenes look forced in a story that takes the audience for granted. Illogical twists are thrown at you every 10 minutes, which eventually end up in a fight between the same people you saw in the last scene. It seems they first planned the action scenes and then tried to put a ring around it. Sadly the action alone can’t suffice for the lack of a narrative structure.

Coming back to action sequences, Commando 2 heavily relies on Jammwal’s stunts. Last time, his victory looked applaud-worthy because of a really frightening villain but this time he doesn’t have a good match. He has performed his stunts but the intensity is missing. Too many twists hamper the film’s chances even more.

Apart from Jammwal, only Adah Sharma is notice-worthy as a Gucci loving, trigger happy cop from Hyderabad.

Commando 2 lacks heart and is all muscles. If may not even quench your thirst for some adrenaline-pumping stunts.

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