"Taken" (2008) was a runaway hit. It is an old-timer's revenge story. There is this troubled and talented, out-of-action CIA agent Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson). The man hangs out with old buddies and does some petty security stuff and pulls on with his life the sole purpose of which is - his daughter. She lives lavishly with her mother and stepfather, but the girl adores her daddy. All hell breaks loose when Bryan's daughter gets abducted. His inner ruthless spirit (also his skills) is rekindled. As he tells his girl's nameless, faceless abductor over the phone, '...I will look for you, I will find you, I will kill you', you know the movie has begun, for real. What happens over the next 60+ minutes is F1-style action matched by amazing cuts, that do not let you wink even for a moment. Only with a few elements of intelligence, but loaded with action and some deeply emotional minutes, "Taken" holds you, so much so that there have been two sequels to the film. But "Taken" pales in front of these three films with the same theme: return of the king.
Jonh Wick (2014, Eng, directed by Chad Stahelski and David Leitch). I love this film. A perfect blend of style and content. Unlike Bryan Mills, who explains at length to the abductor about his action-packed hey days and how easy it was for him to hunt anyone, anywhere in the world, our man John Wick, played tactfully by Keanu Reeves, rarely speaks. Even if he talks, it is not going to be more than 1-2 sentences at a stretch. But, every single man around him constantly talks about him; knows about his past; fears him. The writing is awesome that even before John gets into action, you too think you know everything about this man, and his capability as an A-rated assassin. There are repetitive dialogues about his past, but you don't feel bored. You tighten your seat belts for action, and the movie does not let you down. Early in the film, an intimidating Russian don Viggo calls up a mechanic and asks him why he had struck the don's son. The auto mechanic replies, '...because he stole John Wicks' car sir and.. killed his dog.' You expect Viggo to send armed men to finish him off instantaneously. But to our surprise, the Russian gangster gets shocked by the reply, he just says 'Oh', stares blankly, and hangs the phone; fear oozing out of his eyes; he is terrorised. It is a rare combo of good writing, fine performance, and supreme production values all playing out in harmony to emboss the character in our hearts.
Soon there is a lot of bloodshed and over the next one hour you are just in awe - drawn into the under world that has its own rules of the game, interesting places like The Continental and well-etched players that stay with you for long. Like the Kill Bill-genre of films, blood flow is common but stylised. The beautifully made gun fights stand out. It all ends well for John, but you are left longing for more. There was a sequel.
Baasha (1995, Tamil, Suresh Krissna). With his supreme stardom Rajnikanth (as Baasha) does not need any back story in any of his films. We know that he can do anything on screen; you won't question the character's credibility. That is because you don't see the character on screen, be it "Manithan" or "Thalapathi", we continue to see Rajni, the star, on screen. But Baasha as a character and as a film took Rajni to new heights. Unlike the usual Rajni films that have action within the first 15-20 minutes, in Baasha Rajni does not even raise his voice till about the middle of the film, even well beyond one hour. The first hour is highly dialogue-driven, it is more like a stage drama filled with the usual Kollywood ingredients of mother-sister-brother sentiment, rich-poor stereotypes, rich girl-poor boy love, comedy, intro song, etc. The only exception being the enjoyable, power-packed medical college admission sequence. But just before the interval, we have a glimpse of the man's past. And the show begins.
To save his family's dignity, the docile Manikam turns into the dreaded don Baasha again. The name instills terror. The run up to the 'revelation' is wonderfully supported by composer Deva, the stunt master, editor and sound effects. The whole sequence is extraordinary. There is magic. The second half is loaded with TNT, and every time Manik Baasha utters his now legendary punchline, there is a celebratory blast inside us. Raghuvaran as Mark Anthony gives a splendid, spine-chilling performance. The digitally remastered "Baasha" released recently was running to packed houses. Rajni defines his movies; But Baasha defined Rajni.
Sunflower (2006, Korean, Kang Seok-beom). The animal within is aroused when Tae-sik's near ones are hurt and killed. The film starts with the journey of Tae-sik, a once feared thug who now wishes to be a peaceful, routine person, to his hometown where he is cared for by a motherly lady who runs an eatery. The man is desperately in search of a normal life; he even visits a clinic to get his intimidating full-body tattoo removed. Even when the worst of the lot is ruthless with him, Tae-sik does not respond; he just takes it all. Kim Rae-won as Tae-sik carries the script on his shoulders. He bowls us over with his mature performance - as a repenting man, as a recluse who tries to understand his won feelings, as a sinner who is tormented by his past, and finally as a savage on a prowl to avenge his close ones. The sequence where he presents the mother with a pair of shoes and upon prodding by his sister, tries to give her a hug is truly moving. The man truly longs to turn a new leaf. The sister provides depth as well as lightness to the script.
Tae-sik's backstory of 3-4 minutes is picturised in a refreshingly novel way. There are a lot of well-thought out blocks like the diary Tae-sik maintains, mother's story, the maths teacher and so on that are held together by a commendable display of craft to present us with a compelling product. In the run up to the climax Tae-sik surrenders to the new don of the city, promises to leave the town, and begs him to spare his family. The villain agrees, but on one condition. Such twists ensure you keep wondering what is going to hit you next. Soon, the old thug is reborn, and a violent retribution follows.
And one more man sucked into his brutal past by the love for his dear ones.
------------
* Don = gangster
Jonh Wick (2014, Eng, directed by Chad Stahelski and David Leitch). I love this film. A perfect blend of style and content. Unlike Bryan Mills, who explains at length to the abductor about his action-packed hey days and how easy it was for him to hunt anyone, anywhere in the world, our man John Wick, played tactfully by Keanu Reeves, rarely speaks. Even if he talks, it is not going to be more than 1-2 sentences at a stretch. But, every single man around him constantly talks about him; knows about his past; fears him. The writing is awesome that even before John gets into action, you too think you know everything about this man, and his capability as an A-rated assassin. There are repetitive dialogues about his past, but you don't feel bored. You tighten your seat belts for action, and the movie does not let you down. Early in the film, an intimidating Russian don Viggo calls up a mechanic and asks him why he had struck the don's son. The auto mechanic replies, '...because he stole John Wicks' car sir and.. killed his dog.' You expect Viggo to send armed men to finish him off instantaneously. But to our surprise, the Russian gangster gets shocked by the reply, he just says 'Oh', stares blankly, and hangs the phone; fear oozing out of his eyes; he is terrorised. It is a rare combo of good writing, fine performance, and supreme production values all playing out in harmony to emboss the character in our hearts.
Baasha (1995, Tamil, Suresh Krissna). With his supreme stardom Rajnikanth (as Baasha) does not need any back story in any of his films. We know that he can do anything on screen; you won't question the character's credibility. That is because you don't see the character on screen, be it "Manithan" or "Thalapathi", we continue to see Rajni, the star, on screen. But Baasha as a character and as a film took Rajni to new heights. Unlike the usual Rajni films that have action within the first 15-20 minutes, in Baasha Rajni does not even raise his voice till about the middle of the film, even well beyond one hour. The first hour is highly dialogue-driven, it is more like a stage drama filled with the usual Kollywood ingredients of mother-sister-brother sentiment, rich-poor stereotypes, rich girl-poor boy love, comedy, intro song, etc. The only exception being the enjoyable, power-packed medical college admission sequence. But just before the interval, we have a glimpse of the man's past. And the show begins.
Sunflower (2006, Korean, Kang Seok-beom). The animal within is aroused when Tae-sik's near ones are hurt and killed. The film starts with the journey of Tae-sik, a once feared thug who now wishes to be a peaceful, routine person, to his hometown where he is cared for by a motherly lady who runs an eatery. The man is desperately in search of a normal life; he even visits a clinic to get his intimidating full-body tattoo removed. Even when the worst of the lot is ruthless with him, Tae-sik does not respond; he just takes it all. Kim Rae-won as Tae-sik carries the script on his shoulders. He bowls us over with his mature performance - as a repenting man, as a recluse who tries to understand his won feelings, as a sinner who is tormented by his past, and finally as a savage on a prowl to avenge his close ones. The sequence where he presents the mother with a pair of shoes and upon prodding by his sister, tries to give her a hug is truly moving. The man truly longs to turn a new leaf. The sister provides depth as well as lightness to the script.
Tae-sik's backstory of 3-4 minutes is picturised in a refreshingly novel way. There are a lot of well-thought out blocks like the diary Tae-sik maintains, mother's story, the maths teacher and so on that are held together by a commendable display of craft to present us with a compelling product. In the run up to the climax Tae-sik surrenders to the new don of the city, promises to leave the town, and begs him to spare his family. The villain agrees, but on one condition. Such twists ensure you keep wondering what is going to hit you next. Soon, the old thug is reborn, and a violent retribution follows.
And one more man sucked into his brutal past by the love for his dear ones.
------------
* Don = gangster
