Attack is Bollywood’s new-age action entertainer, a thoroughly enjoyable experience and a complete cinematic package starring John Abraham. Director Lakshya Raj Anand introduces a new style to a genre that has long been overshadowed by South Indian cinema-inspired fight sequences in Hindi films. It’s worth noting that, despite John being the focus of the film, the focus is on the subject and treatment of the film.
Attack has a very stylized appearance and feel. It pays homage to masala films while venturing into newer and uncharted territory.
In terms of Attack, the premise of treating AI with respect and imagining a distant future in which robots will fight wars is idealistic. However, the ambitions end there. On paper, that is. What appears on screen is a messy product that aims to please both the audience watching films with substance and those entering the hall with their tongues rolled up to whistle.
Arjun Shergill, John as an army man, meets us right in the middle of the battleground. He and his team are on a mission to apprehend and transport a terrorist to India. The tone of the film is established from the start. The first 12 minutes are action-packed and serve as a preview of what is to come. The entire opening sequence occurs at night, and the contrast lighting cinematography is excellent.
The sound of firing guns blends and becomes one with the background score in this scene, which serves as a leitmotif in Attack. Arjun and his team complete their mission, but they go above and beyond the call of duty by leaving a child wearing a suicide vest alive. This choice becomes a thorn in the side.
Arjun falls in love with Ayesha (Jacqueline Fernandez), an air hostess. In montages, a song depicts how they fall fast and hard for each other. This song aims to give Arjun’s character an emotional side on which to lean. It also reveals a softer side to a hardened army man. A dash of comedy also helps to lighten the mood. Jacqueline looks stunning in well-lit scenes, and her pairing with John completes the picture. Ayesha is killed during a terrorist takeover of an airport terminal, and Arjun suffers paralysis from the neck below. Arjun is now confined to a wheelchair, a man of action, helpless and discouraged.
Meanwhile, Subramanyam (Prakash Raj), a government official, is working hard to push for human testing of the AI-powered super-soldier program, the R&D of which is led by Saba Qureshi (Rakul Preet Singh). Saba is idealistic and wants to use her technology to help paralyzed people. She refuses to use it on fully capable beings, despite the government’s and Subramanyam’s requests. As a result, Arjun is chosen as Saba’s first test subject.
Arjun is implanted with an AI-powered chip IRA via incision surgery. This technology allows him to return to his normal life. Still, as shown in The Matrix, it also allows fighting styles and other knowledge, learning, and perception-based programs to be brain-wired into anyone’s system.
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Although the film’s pacing slows in the middle, the director inserts an extended fight sequence to keep things moving. On the negative side, there is exposition and information overload in this film section. Arjun’s first mission as a “super-soldier” will be to assist in the rescue of over 300 civilians, the Prime Minister, and other politicians held hostage inside the parliament by Hamid Gul (Elham Ehsas). This takes place in the second half of the two-hour film and is Attack’s strong suit.
Things speed up in the second half, which lasts about an hour. It almost feels like make-up for the earlier slowed-down pace for the sake of the narrative. Lakshya’s direction is excellent, and John’s screen presence complements the filmmaker’s vision of a larger-than-life human. The second half flies by with fast-paced editing and inventive camera angles, keeping you on the edge of your seat. There isn’t a dull moment in this film, and you won’t be able to blink due to the increasing suspense and stakes at each beat. Lakshya does not imitate any source of action choreography inspiration, and his distinct style shines through in the set pieces.
John’s acting hits the right note, and the dialogue improves. Although he is not as physically intimidating as others, his presence is felt. A lengthy fight sequence within the parliament stage is well shot and executed. It also gives the film a first-person, video-game feel. This is Attack’s high point.
Those who question the film’s realism in action should know that it is meant to be staged and certain because the character is shown to have abilities beyond those of a normal human. The sky is the limit when introducing this concept, and the franchise can go wherever the filmmaker’s vision can soar and beyond.
