Knock Out Movie Review, Rating

Knock Out is not a straight copy of the Colin Farrell starrer, Phone Booth . It is a fit of immature imagination that tries blending the basic idea of Phone Booth with A Wednesday type of ‘ social comment’. This is a film where the CBI top boss struts around as if he was rampwalking in designer clothes and shades. TV journalists come to cover a crime scene as if they have arrived straight from a party. And the crooked investment banker suspiciously looks like he has failed an audition of a hair gel ad.

Okay, this is Bollywood. So willingly suspend all disbelief.

If you have seen Phone Booth , you are familiar with the script idea. The story has an investment banker held hostage inside a phone booth. The caller at the other end of the line claims to be a hitman, and has his gun trained at the banker inside the booth.

The hitman could be positioned in any of the windows in one of the highrise buildings around the booth. The victim must do whatever the hitman wants him to do, or else face fatal consequences.

As the plot moves and the motive of the hitman is revealed, we realise the ‘ victim’ banker is not all that innocent. And that the hitman is actually out to do the nation a favour by extracting certain truths on corruption from the banker. That way, Knock Out tries to add a political subtext to the motive of the hitman, played by Sanjay Dutt.

In Phone Booth , the suspense was drawn from the fact that the hitman’s face is never revealed.

Here, Dutt’s identity as the sniper is shown early on. His killer- victim chemistry with Irrfan, playing the hostage, has its moments.

For a film that plays out in real time, Kangna Ranaut’s presence as a party wear clad TV journo is actually laughable. She doesn’t get much of a role. And she doesn’t try to impress with whatever she gets.

Can’t blame Kangna if she lost interest midway in this amateurish project.

Rating - 2.5 / 5