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Many are already hailing War as the best and the most definitive action film in Bollywood in recent times, and I totally agree with that. While the movie has huge drawbacks, the action sequences, along with the immense charisma of the lead actors, are the huge highlights of the film and the most enjoyable bits of War. No wonder that this Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff starrer turns out to the highest box office opener in Bollywood, earning Rs 53.50 crore on day 1. War Box Office Collection: 5 Records Hrithik Roshan-Tiger Shroff's Action Entertainer Breaks Effortlessly.
It also gives us some confidence in director Siddharth Anand, who previously made Bang Bang, when he takes on the Rambo remake next, starring Tiger Shroff. Though going by his previous ventures, let's not expect that the remake would tackle the subtleties of war-caused PTSD which made First Blood so great in the remake. That's a discussion for another day, though.
Returning to the action sequences of War, the whole team of action directors deserve a round of applause in the manner in which they have shot for the eight major action beats in the film. Even if, some of them seem heavily inspired by other movies. War Movie Review: Hrithik Roshan-Tiger Shroff’s Dynamic Duo and a Thrilling Third Act Make a Deadly Combo in This Action Thriller.
In this feature, let's look at all the action sequences in War, and rank them from LEAST IMPRESSIVE to the MOST, and from which movie they have been inspired from. Starting off with the Least Impressive: (WARNING: HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD)
#8 The Airplane Scene
What should have THE BEST action sequence, considering the insanity of the whole idea, turns out the lamest scene in the movie?
There was a lot of potential in Kabir (Hrithik Roshan) trying to catch hold of an army officer while plane-jacking his transportation. But thanks to some very iffy VFX and obvious green-screens, the impact of the scene is easily lost and it turns out to be a flimsier ripoff of the below scene from xXx: Return of Xander Cage.
#7 Saving Kabir From 'Talibans'
During the first flashback scene, Kabir and his team go to Morocco to get hold of a terrorist mastermind, but Kabir gets caught when he saves a woman from getting stoned to death. As he is getting beaten by a supposedly Talibani terrorist, Khalid (Tiger Shroff) breaks into their hideout with his guns blazing.
It is a usual fight scene with Tiger showing off his moves and Hrithik showing off his cool. But there is a pinch of hilarity in the sequence when both Kabir and Khalid are beaten down by the seemingly unflappable terrorist, and Kabir gestures Khalid to go again, much to the latter's dismay. War: Was There a Hidden Gay Love Story in Tiger Shroff and Hrithik Roshan’s Action Thriller? (SPOILER ALERT).
#6 Parkour in Marrakesh
This is a very short sequence, beginning after Kabir's team, while trying to capture the dreaded Ilyasi, gets betrayed by their one of their team-mates and engages in a shootout. The scene stands out for that terrific rooftop chase scene, that shows off Tiger's parkour skills, as he runs after the betrayer.
The scene is later continued before the climax, where we get to see the shocking culmination of that sequence.
#5 Arctic Circle Car Chase
The sequence is set in the OTT climax involving an enemy ship in the Arctic Circle (but why) and a missile that aims to destroy India's defence satellite, which later leads to a car chase sequence in the ice.
While all kinds of logic get tossed in the air, credit where due, the chase sequence is slickly shot, even better than the aeroplane stunt. But it loses points for being unoriginal in its idea, with The Fate of the Furious beating this sequence by its timing and its silliness.
#4 Bike Chase Scene in Portugal
Another epic chase sequence comes a few scenes earlier, Khalid chases Kabir on bikes in Portugal.
From Hrithik riding through the flames in style, to Tiger Shroff running through the streets in his trademark style and jumping on Hrithik, everything in the slickly shot scene is awesome, right from the camerawork to the choreography. However, the scene feels too similar to two bike chase sequences in Mission: Impossible II and Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation.
Another downer is that the scene ends on a limp note, when Kabir jumps off a bridge trying to escape from Khalid. In the long shot, that jump looks awesome. But when they go for a closer look with Hrithik's face, you can easily make out the green screen behind him.
#3 The Climactic Showdown
The scene immediately follows the Arctic circle chase, where both Kabir and Khalid (spoiler...actually someone else) end up in a ruined church and both end up beating the shit out of each other.
The scene is brutal and yet fan-pleasing, especially when Tiger Shroff tears off his shirt a la Salman Khan. It is a very impactful sequence, though a couple of beats are reminiscent of Batman V Superman and Mahesh Babu's Athadu.
#2 Ambush in Australia
This scene happens when Khalid catches up with Kabir in Australia and gets to learn the truth about his turnaround in the latter's hideout. As they talk it out, they are ambushed by some unknown assailants that seemed to have followed Khalid, and the duo shoots their way out of this mess.
While it doesn't involve any stunts as such, the scene stands out as the only sequence where both the leads work in tandem. The stylish slo-mo of Hrithik and Tiger gunning down their enemies while having their backs to each other is cool level max. This is what the fans came in for right? Also, the sequence is quite important later on, when it plays its part in a huge twist. Though again, the way the action sequence is shot feels very similar to the below scene from, once again, xXx: Return of Xander Cage, featuring Deepika Padukone and Ruby Rose.
#1 Khalid's Entry Fight Sequence
The best action sequence in the whole film doesn't involve any aeroplane stunts or bike chases, but simple hand-to-hand fight. It marks the entry scene of Tiger Shroff, as he takes on a group of international smugglers single-handedly.
The above scene is masterfully shot, and edited in such a way that it looks to be shot in a single take with no BG score to distract. There are jarring jerks that come across, but it is an excellent display of Tiger's amazing martial skills, and a tribute to many such scenes in Tony Jaa and Iko Uwais' films, especially The Raid series.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 03, 2019 10:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
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