#FinalVerdict

Producers Vipul Amrutlal Shah's Sunshine Pictures, Shibasish Sarkar's Reliance Entertainment and Motion Picture Capital's Commando 3 arouses about as much emotion as an early morning jog on a treadmill but the end result is simply not compelling enough.

Commando3 will undoubtedly change the action landscape of Bollywood, with Vidyut Jammwal partaking in never-witnessed-before action sequences, hand-to-hand combat, mid-air splits and somersaults but Darius Yarmil and Junaid Wasi's story is plain ordinary. The film does manage to catch you unaware with some interesting twists and turns and the first half also successfully manages to build the momentum with some really stylish action scenes thrown in but it's the film's disjointed second half that drags predictably, which mars the overall impact. Also, it will take some nerve to sit through the brutal, gory and graphic violence in Commando 3. But its biggest strength is, without an iota of doubt, the action sequences (Andy Long Stunt Team United Kingdom, Allan Amin and Dr. K Ravi Verma).

Darius Yarmil and Junaid Wasi's story uses cliché tropes and scenes replete with loaded patriotic dialogues, making Commando 3 a jingoistic affair. There are enough scenes involving the good Muslims to point out that the film is only against bad elements in any community. The screenplay lacks novelty, acting as a spoilsport. The weak script lands up making the film all style & no substance. There’s no denying the fact that the story is so stretched, even the high-octane action doesn’t keep you invested all through. The narrative of Commando 3 is implausible and tries to pack in so much that it loses grip and pace more often than not. The background score (Saurabh Bhalerao) attempts to elevate the drama but is often overbearing. Also the dialogues (Darius Yarmil and Junaid Wasi) are strictly okay. While the kicks, punches, back-flips, smooth landing and hand-to-hand combat scenes keep you hooked, the chest-thumping jingoism is annoying. Sadly, Commando 3 has nothing more to offer. The intermission point, though filmy and beaten to death, warrants attention.

Director Aditya Datt goes overboard this time as he tries to pack as many emotions as possible in one film. Although he does garnish the action drama with romance and music but doesn’t quite succeed in integrating these well in the film. Average direction! The DoP (Mark Hamilton) is the behind-the-scene star of Commando 3. He deserves distinction marks for his camerawork, capturing the stunts with elan. The soundtrack (Vikram Montrose and Mannan Shaah) is good. Editing (Sandeep Kurup) could've been tighter.

Commando 3 clearly belongs to Vidyut Jammwal. The liberty of watching him crushing everything and everyone in sight leaves you tongue-tied. He's a fine actor too, but it's the action that takes precedence over histrionics here. His act will be greeted with whistles and claps, especially in the last 30 minutes. By doing the stunts without a body double or cables, he fits into the definition of India's Next Gen action hero without a hitch. The leading ladies get to kick butt, too, and both Adah Sharma and Angira Dhar seem to enjoy it. Adah Sharma's role has shades that are essential for a Hindi film heroine and gives it her best shot. Angira Dhar also comes across as a poised and self-assured actress. Gulshan Devaiah delivers an unparalleled performance, yet again in Commando 3. He's one of the finest talents around and even though he plays the conventional baddie, he will be recalled in the same breath as the protagonist of the film.

On the whole, Commando 3 is vintage good versus evil saga, which is high on breathtaking action but has a routine drama. With the story and the message that the director intended to convey, it could have been easily wrapped up in a crisp hour and a half. Thus, it would appeal only to its target audience.