New York - Kill Three Hours

Banner: Yash Raj Films

Lyricist: Sandeep Srivastava & Junaid Wasi

Music Director: Pritam Chakraborty, Pankaj Awasthi & Julius Packiam

Producer: Aditya Chopra &Yash Chopra

Director: Kabir Khan

Star Cast: John Abraham, Katrina Kaif, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Irfaan Khan

Rating: * *

New York" is a contemporary story of friendship set against the larger than life backdrop of a city often described as the centre of the world.b The first half of 'New York' is simply amazing and keeps you on the edge, constantly guessing what is going to happen in the very next scene. By the time interval comes, you are looking at a big shocker and eagerly wait for the few minutes of break to be over soon.

Coming down to the second half of the movie, it was a bit disappointing, especially after the big revelation. The pace is quite slow, as compared to the first half, and even some predictability creeps in. Still, it is not without its fair share of engrossing scenes. Especially the torture scenes seem to send a shiver down your spine. The wry humor in the movie is just perfect, neither becoming slapstick, nor getting mislaid. As for the climax, it was not only unpredictable, but a little melodramatic (after all, it is a Bollywood film!). However, it has been executed to perfection.

Talking about performances Irrfan Khan and Neil Nitin Mukesh are the two towers of ‘New York’. Irrfan, despite being given a few preachy sequences (in which he talks about introspection within the Muslim community and also the new America which is more accepting) lives up to his mettle, while Neil holds the film together with an earnest and sincere performance punctuated with flashes of brilliance.

It’s John, all butt and biceps, who’s the weak link. I know girls love him but John fails to internalize his character of a seething, simmering man who’s been done wrong. Katrina Kaif takes a leap from being all beauty and no talent. Now, she can cry convincingly. A special mention must be made of actor Nawazuddin who plays John’s assistant named Zilgai, an emotional wreck haunted by the torture he underwent under police detention.

Its flaws apart, ‘New York’ does have some very nicely executed sequences. One such is when Zilgai is cornered by cops atop the terrace of a high rise and decides to jump to death. In his final moment as he remembers his god, the last thing he sees is a church in a distance. Or that sequence when John goes to the downtown Brooklyn market with a codeword to contact a sleeper cell. The torture sequences (filmed on a nude John) are more shocking because of their content than execution.

The film’s music is pretty good and unlike other Bollywood flicks it doesn’t impede the story’s progression.

The cinematography is nice but the director overdoes the slow-motion shots.

Over all the movie is time killing, Saddled with a plot-holed script and poor performances from half of its starcast, ‘New York’ falls short of expectations. Watch it if you have three hours to kill.

After the well-made Kabul Express that didn't click at the box-office, mainly due to lack of entertainment value, director Kabir Khan and Aditya Chopra come together once again with New York, wiyh a poor response.

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