Relax. The movie does not rip off Pulp Fiction.
Rather, it captures the ESSENCE of Pulp Fiction. And that essence is HOMAGE... Just like Pulp Fiction, Johnny Gaddaar is a homage to some of the classic thrillers of world cinema. But that's where the similarity ends.
Both movies are different and have different appeals. While Pulp Fiction has it's appeal in amazingly witty dialogues and a few memorable performances, Johnny Gaddaar has it's appeal in a taut storyline with a good "twist-at-the-end".
The story follows the protagonist as he double-crosses his gang members, and then tries to ensure that his gang members do not suspect him of double-crossing. Whether he succeeds in evading the gang's suspicion and making off with the booty is what makes the entire plot.
The plot has all the elements of an edge-of-the-seat thriller. However, what differentiates Johnny Gaddaar from the rest is the Style of it's execution. The movie has Style with a capital S. The scene in the train stands out as an example of how the director chooses to use his influences. He uses the plot sequence of the classic Hindi thriller "Parwana" and executes it in the style of classic French thriller "Rififi". And the outcome is excellent....
Johnny Gaddaar also rides on some excellent performances from it's cast. The stand out performances come from Zakir Hussain (Shardul), Vinay Pathak (Prakash), Govind Namdeo (Kalyan) and Ashwini Kalsekar. Dharmendra is excellent but should have been given lesser English lines. English doesn't seem to come naturally to him. His eloquence in Hindi & Urdu could've been better utilized in this film.
The protagonist (..or antagonist..) Vikram is a complex character to portray. Debutante Neil Mukesh does a fair job of it. Sometimes you feel that he is putting some extra effort to say his Hindi lines. Whether he is capable of histrionics in his likely future projects as an actor is another question mark. However, one cannot deny that he has good screen presence. The soundtrack is noteworthy & is consistent with the mood of the movie.
Johnny Gaddaar has it's share of flaws too. The dream sequence feels like a forced attempt by the director to instill some needless thrill in an already thrilling film. The gore sequence with the nurse also feels forced & seems a bit incongruent with the movie. These scenes, to a certain extent, adversely affect the movie's length as well...
However, with it's intriguing storyline & innovative style of execution, Johnny Gaddaar sets a precedent for other thrillers to follow...
8/10
Rather, it captures the ESSENCE of Pulp Fiction. And that essence is HOMAGE... Just like Pulp Fiction, Johnny Gaddaar is a homage to some of the classic thrillers of world cinema. But that's where the similarity ends.
Both movies are different and have different appeals. While Pulp Fiction has it's appeal in amazingly witty dialogues and a few memorable performances, Johnny Gaddaar has it's appeal in a taut storyline with a good "twist-at-the-end".
The story follows the protagonist as he double-crosses his gang members, and then tries to ensure that his gang members do not suspect him of double-crossing. Whether he succeeds in evading the gang's suspicion and making off with the booty is what makes the entire plot.
The plot has all the elements of an edge-of-the-seat thriller. However, what differentiates Johnny Gaddaar from the rest is the Style of it's execution. The movie has Style with a capital S. The scene in the train stands out as an example of how the director chooses to use his influences. He uses the plot sequence of the classic Hindi thriller "Parwana" and executes it in the style of classic French thriller "Rififi". And the outcome is excellent....
Johnny Gaddaar also rides on some excellent performances from it's cast. The stand out performances come from Zakir Hussain (Shardul), Vinay Pathak (Prakash), Govind Namdeo (Kalyan) and Ashwini Kalsekar. Dharmendra is excellent but should have been given lesser English lines. English doesn't seem to come naturally to him. His eloquence in Hindi & Urdu could've been better utilized in this film.
The protagonist (..or antagonist..) Vikram is a complex character to portray. Debutante Neil Mukesh does a fair job of it. Sometimes you feel that he is putting some extra effort to say his Hindi lines. Whether he is capable of histrionics in his likely future projects as an actor is another question mark. However, one cannot deny that he has good screen presence. The soundtrack is noteworthy & is consistent with the mood of the movie.
Johnny Gaddaar has it's share of flaws too. The dream sequence feels like a forced attempt by the director to instill some needless thrill in an already thrilling film. The gore sequence with the nurse also feels forced & seems a bit incongruent with the movie. These scenes, to a certain extent, adversely affect the movie's length as well...
However, with it's intriguing storyline & innovative style of execution, Johnny Gaddaar sets a precedent for other thrillers to follow...
8/10