abhishekkrishnakumar1869 Review of The Brawler

The Brawler (2017)

A film that is confused about what it could be, what it tries to be and what it is.

[7/10 · 12 January 2018]

This film is no Ragging Bull, neither is it anything like Anurag Kashyap's previous works such as "Ugly" and "Black Friday". And this is definitely not a sports drama. But without being any of them it managed to keep me satisfied throughout its long run time. The biggest flaw with the film is quite evident from first of the six acts of the film and it is that the movie tries to be many things at once. The result of it is a classic Indian Curry with various spices such as humour, tension, romance and a tadka of reality. And like every other Indian dish the key to success is not merely having all the spices but knowing when, where and by how much they should be added. Unfortunately the editing, cinematography and sound mixing stoop to very unsatisfactory levels making this movie flawed but edible. But the elements in the movie that work manage to knock you out repeatedly. The acting, direction and dialogues made me want to clap, whistle, shout and cheer. The creativity with which certain scenes move into the next is tremendous. In one particular scene the protagonist's smile is over-laid with the sound of a gun cocking. Its moments like these that constantly manage to bring a smile to your face and keep you entertained throughout the film. While this film will keep the normal Hindi cinema audience very happy it will make someone who looks at this like a work of art ask some serious questions such as- Why on Earth does every scene need to be so darkly lit? This is not Ugly. Where is the kind of sporty action scenes that one would expect from a top notch director like Anurag Kashyap? There were hints of it in the jail fight sequence but that was it. Why have songs been forcefully injected into the film? Why the excessive use of slow motion? Mukkabaaz won't disappoint you if you watch it with no expectations. By the standards of a usual Hindi film Mukkabaaz is excellent but it is no Oscar worthy movie. At the same time if you are a lover of Indian cinema you should definitely watch it. Even if all the flaws I have mentioned in my review have put you off please do watch the film if you love Anurag Kashyap's previous works.