The reason this movie is trying to swim upstream is because no matter how hard it tries, a Hindi movie that looks and feels like a Hollywood thriller (for the most part) is bound to disappoint those who expect a Hindi movie to be anything but. As I saw some of the filmy fighting scenes in Agent Vinod my mind wandered to comparing it to English spy movies like Mission Impossible and the Bourne series and how well made they were. A few seconds later I realized how much crap from an English movie I was willing to swallow without calling it filmy (e.g. anybody tried to jump from a high speed train to a helicopter and then strategically blast your way back, aka Mission Impossible? I wonder how many moviegoers would've found it as thrilling if it were SRK and not Tom Cruise).
Agent Vinod is an Indian spy movie about...well Agent Vinod. What makes this movie different from the other sporadic Bollywoodian attempts in this genre is that it actually manages to be taut most of the times. A globetrotting, spy-busting RAW agent is actually believable and in places, a bit thrilling. Sure Mr. Vinod has 9 lives, but which agent doesn't! The plot of busting a conspiracy across borders to explode a dirty bomb is in line with the current version of terrorist paranoia. The plot quite plausibly moves across different countries, laying different challenges for our desi spy. A special mention about the climax (without a spoiler hopefully): the climax has overall a very predictable (and anticlimactic) ending. However try to picture a Speed-like scenario (no, there are no bombs on buses here) but in chaotic populous India and you'll see that cacophony and seemingly hackneyed twists to the plots are inevitable. Look at the climax from this point of view and you may not be as disappointed.
The most remarkable aspect of the movie is that belying my expectations, Saif Ali Khan actually carries off the role with great panache. A toned body but without a ridiculously rippled belly, mixed with occasional wry humour. The action sequences are shot quite well and seem raw rather than unbelievable (the fist fights in particular). Without seeming like a martial arts expert, Saif carries off the action sequences impressively (if I heard someone say that a few years ago I would've scoffed) with a little help from the cameraman. The movie leverages his strengths: wry humour and decent acting, without revealing his usual weaknesses: dancing and excessively histrionic scenes.
I must admit that in general, I do not like Kareena Kapoor at all. But she has now managed to surprise me with surprisingly good looks and very decent acting twice: 3 idiots and now Agent Vinod. She often looks stunning in this movie. Her role is on the bridge from "item girl" to "serious protagonist" and she manages to balance it reasonably well (she has almost equal screen time as AV in the movie, but the movie is still AV). The other actors are passable and do nothing to deserve special mention.
The music of the movie is noteworthy in that the movie is almost without songs (yes, for a movie of this kind, it is a plus). The three songs that it does have actually advance the story (which is good because the songs by themselves are no great shakes). An absolutely romantic song in the backdrop of a gory shootout was quite uncanny and impressive (that the director thought this would be a good idea and actually managed to execute it well).
Overall I recommend seeing this movie, if not out of the love for movies, then to simply encourage the director and producers for a well-made attempt in a genre that Bollywood has failed to succeed in and viewers have failed to stomach.
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