Don: The Chase Begins Again

Don: The Chase Begins Again

MAIN CAST:

Shahrukh Khan -- Don/Vijay

Boman Irani -- DeSilva

Priyanka Chopra -- Roma
Arjun Rampal -- J.J

Ishaa Koppikar -- Anita

Om Puri -- Malik

BRIEF PLOT OVERVIEW:

Don is an action film about a Malaysian drug ring run by Singhania, a vicious drug lord. In an attempt to corner Singhania and cripple his trafficking, MIAD officers DeSilva and Malik plan to capture the ring's most dangerous lieutenant, Don. DeSilva decides to use Don's duplicate (in Hindi films, a character who looks exactly like another character, allowing the actor to play a double role), Vijay, as an insider.

FILM -- 3/5

Most critics rate a film against films from the same genre, and I am no different. The script is up and down, and some scenes are so blatantly manipulative that they made me roll my eyes. There are some pretty good twists, though! I want to shoot Farah Khan; usually she's my favorite choreographer, but the dance sequences in this film are ridiculous, especially Kareena Kapoor's "Yeh Mera Dil," which looks jerky and disjointed rather than sexy. Most of the scenes are shot flawlessly, but they're linked together in a choppy manner. I just want to cut Don up and put it back together. I have to give Don a thousand points for stylishness, because the action scenes are really awesome. Lastly, at the risk of sounding like a total "judge a book by its cover" ninny, the DVD opening and menu are really neat, and the Malaysian scenery is gorgeous.

CHARACTERS -- 3/5

My experiences with action flicks have shown that even if a movie has a horrible plot laden with holes and a cringe-worthy script, a decent performance or two can save said movie from the pits of despair. Shahrukh Khan's body language is perfectly nuanced, as always, but his pause-laden dialogue delivery can get a bit annoying. It's a decent performance, especially in the context of a thriller, but it's not his best. Roma's character requires on-screen charisma, sex appeal, and only a little bit of acting talent, a formula that Priyanka Chopra has no trouble following. She should do more films like this! Ishaa Koppikar, however, has none of the above, and Anita is extremely annoying. I usually think Arjun Rampal is one of the worst and most physically unappealing actors India has ever produced, but he's pretty good as the vengeful husband. Boman Irani didn't fit his character too well. Om Puri does the best acting job in the entire film! Kareena Kapoor's special appearance is blissfully short.

SOUNDTRACK -- 2/5

I absolutely LOVE the instrumental track that opens the film up! Unfortunately, my enthusiasm didn't continue for the rest of the soundtrack. "Khaike Paan Banaraswala" is obnoxiously cute, and I like the vocals. Kareena's item number, "Yeh Mera Dil," is okay, but the original version is much better, and her dancing in-film really ruins the moment. The same goes for "Main Hoon Don," which doesn't fit as well in this modern adaptation of the story and should have been left as an instrumental. "Aaj Ki Raat" is boring and poorly mixed. "Maurya Re" is okay, but I really don't care for Shankar Mahadevan's singing, and I don't think it suits SRK at all. I expected a really sleek, interesting soundtrack from Don, but I was deeply disappointed.

OVERALL -- 3/5

Don was one of several blind purchases I made while filling up a cart at Induna.com, and for the most part I'm genuinely pleased with the $4.50 (including shipping) I spent. Comparing this 2006 remake to the 1978 original is a bit cruel to both versions: the old version has better performances, but is super-kitschy, while the remake is more visually appealing, but loses momentum in the last hour. Don is decent film that could have been better, and it's worth a cheap rental or purchase, especially if you enjoy an action-packed, twist-laden thriller and aren't too picky about performances or pacing.

TOTAL SCORE -- 11/20 (okay)