174. Malang - Unleash The Madness; movie review

MALANG - UNLEASH THE MADNESS
Cert 15
135 mins
BBFC advice: Contains drug misuse, sexual threat, strong violence

Well, that was worth the wait.
It has become a feature of Coronavirus lockdown that false rumours of Netflix and Amazon Prime release dates have been circulated on social media.
For weeks, film fans such as me have been salivating for the arrival of Malang - Unleash The Madness only for the expected big day to arrive and then pass without any sign of it.
Finally, the day came where it is on the Netflix list and I can happily report that it lived up to its billing.
Mohit Suri's movie grabs from the start and is built on a foundation of the darkest anti-heroes. Often I would complain that such characters are unlikable so it says much for the quality of acting that they lured me in.
This is especially true of Anil Kapur's unhinged murdering, cocaine-snorting cop with a manic laugh.
He has so few scruples that he makes Dirty Harry look like Dixon of Dock Green.
Then there is Aditya Roy Kapoor's Advait - a cruel serial killer of police officers. Why should the audience have any empathy for him?
By comparison, Kunal Khemu's detective is much more measured and even when his colleague is found hanged by a murderer in the early scenes, he demands a forensic rather than frenzied reaction.
Advait, who has only recently been released from jail, appears bad to the core, remorseless in hunting down and murdering.
However, the layers are gradually peeled back and it seems as if the killings may be related to his tempestuous relationship with a Goa hippy (Disha Patani).
Patani's Sara is in India's party capital with little else on her mind than hedonism. Her beauty lures in Kapur's character, Advait.
But their tempestuous romance is ill-fated.
Malang Unleash The Madness follows the chase of the killer by Kapoor and Khemu alongside flashbacks which add depth to what is unfolding,
There is an avalanche of surprises and none of the central characters is quite what they seem. The tension is ratcheted up throughout.
Indeed, even though it jumps around more than it should, it had me rapt, particularly in its later stages.


Reasons to watch: Compelling thriller
Reasons to avoid: Jumps around quite a bit

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? This year marks Anil Kapoor's 50th in the movies. He made his debut in 1970 in Tu Payal Mein Geet but the film did not release theatrically.

The final word. Anil Kapoor: "“It is a pretty dark role. I said ‘I have not played such a dark character’. I wanted to be little more fun and watchable also. It’s a commercial film. I have tried to make it as interesting as I could.” Hindustan Times

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