Director: Kabir Khan; Screenwriter: Kabir Khan, Neelesh Misra; Starring: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Ranvir Shorey, Girish Karnad, Roshan Seth; Running time: 133 mins; Certificate: 12A
Director: Kabir Khan; Screenwriter: Kabir Khan, Neelesh Misra; Starring: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Ranvir Shorey, Girish Karnad, Roshan Seth; Running time: 133 mins; Certificate: 12A
Salman Khan's track record for scoring back-to-back blockbusters has had trade pundits predicting that Ek Tha Tiger will break all existing Bollywood box office records. With its impressive action sequences, a largely engaging narrative and the might of Khan's loyal fan base behind it, it's a pretty safe bet.
After 12 years of back-to-back missions, RAW Agent Tiger (Khan) lives a solitary existence - he's a killing machine who cooks for one. His latest mission to observe Dublin-based scientist Kidwai (Roshan Seth) results in him falling in love with the mad professor's student caretaker (Katrina Kaif). Love happens unexpectedly, leading him into a lair set by rival undercover ISI agents and the government assassin must choose between love and duty.
Ek Tha Tiger is a gripping action film with the world of espionage as a backdrop and romance at its core, and while the love element makes for a tenuous storyline, the film is thankfully devoid of the usual distractions associated with a mass entertainer.
The gun-toting kicks in immediately, as Tiger battles treacherous cohorts and conspirators, all in the name of duty and country. The action sequences are expertly choreographed by Hollywood stunt directors and neither Khan nor Kaif betray a hint of trepidation while performing them; whether leaping through glass windows onto a 50-foot drop, running atop a runaway tram or simply hanging off the edge of an airborne plane. And while Khan exceeds all expectation in his execution of the stunts, there's a thrill in seeing Katrina Kaif pull some punches and bounce off walls.
While
the action is key to maintaining the film's momentum, it's the unlikely
love story between the two that lies at the core of the film.
The intimate moments between Khan and Kaif draw you deeper into the heart of the RAW agent with no sense of his own identity.
The emotional stand-offs culminate in a heart-stopping climax and what starts out as a political tale is transformed into a story of love against the odds, with more than a hint of Veer-Zara.
With his natural charisma, wry wit and ripped physique concealing a softer core, Khan has all the presence of a larger-than-life hero of the modern age and if there was any doubt, the triumphant theme tune announcing his every entrance confirms it.
The core cast all give noteworthy performances. Ranvir Shorey's sardonic manner makes him the perfect foil for Khan's unquashable exuberance, constantly exasperated as he is by Tiger's deviations from his mission. Girish Karnad, meanwhile, has all the air of authority and callous discipline necessary for him to execute his duty as a RAW chief.
The songs are well-placed in the narrative, depicting both the loneliness of the moment and the characters' sense of freedom - Bonnie and Clyde meets Brotherhood of Man's 'Angelo', as they run away to their destiny.
The beautifully shot locales of Cuba and Istanbul are the perfect backdrops for the dramatic action sequences, while also drawing on the romance of the region.
The film concludes on a heart-warming, though somewhat trite sentiment, as the two sworn enemies discover that there is nothing left to fight for, hinting at the hope that, even on a larger political platform, differences could be put aside and love might yet find a way.
Meanwhile, Salman Khan's reinvention as the ultimate all-singing, all-dancing action hero is complete. The Bollywood action-man looks set to cement his position as reigning king of the box office.
Salman Khan's track record for scoring back-to-back blockbusters has had trade pundits predicting that Ek Tha Tiger will break all existing Bollywood box office records. With its impressive action sequences, a largely engaging narrative and the might of Khan's loyal fan base behind it, it's a pretty safe bet.
After 12 years of back-to-back missions, RAW Agent Tiger (Khan) lives a solitary existence - he's a killing machine who cooks for one. His latest mission to observe Dublin-based scientist Kidwai (Roshan Seth) results in him falling in love with the mad professor's student caretaker (Katrina Kaif). Love happens unexpectedly, leading him into a lair set by rival undercover ISI agents and the government assassin must choose between love and duty.
Ek Tha Tiger is a gripping action film with the world of espionage as a backdrop and romance at its core, and while the love element makes for a tenuous storyline, the film is thankfully devoid of the usual distractions associated with a mass entertainer.
The gun-toting kicks in immediately, as Tiger battles treacherous cohorts and conspirators, all in the name of duty and country. The action sequences are expertly choreographed by Hollywood stunt directors and neither Khan nor Kaif betray a hint of trepidation while performing them; whether leaping through glass windows onto a 50-foot drop, running atop a runaway tram or simply hanging off the edge of an airborne plane. And while Khan exceeds all expectation in his execution of the stunts, there's a thrill in seeing Katrina Kaif pull some punches and bounce off walls.
The intimate moments between Khan and Kaif draw you deeper into the heart of the RAW agent with no sense of his own identity.
The emotional stand-offs culminate in a heart-stopping climax and what starts out as a political tale is transformed into a story of love against the odds, with more than a hint of Veer-Zara.
With his natural charisma, wry wit and ripped physique concealing a softer core, Khan has all the presence of a larger-than-life hero of the modern age and if there was any doubt, the triumphant theme tune announcing his every entrance confirms it.
The core cast all give noteworthy performances. Ranvir Shorey's sardonic manner makes him the perfect foil for Khan's unquashable exuberance, constantly exasperated as he is by Tiger's deviations from his mission. Girish Karnad, meanwhile, has all the air of authority and callous discipline necessary for him to execute his duty as a RAW chief.
The songs are well-placed in the narrative, depicting both the loneliness of the moment and the characters' sense of freedom - Bonnie and Clyde meets Brotherhood of Man's 'Angelo', as they run away to their destiny.
The beautifully shot locales of Cuba and Istanbul are the perfect backdrops for the dramatic action sequences, while also drawing on the romance of the region.
The film concludes on a heart-warming, though somewhat trite sentiment, as the two sworn enemies discover that there is nothing left to fight for, hinting at the hope that, even on a larger political platform, differences could be put aside and love might yet find a way.
Meanwhile, Salman Khan's reinvention as the ultimate all-singing, all-dancing action hero is complete. The Bollywood action-man looks set to cement his position as reigning king of the box office.
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