Kill (2024)

​“Kill” stars Lakshya, Raghav Juyal, Ashish Vidyarthi, Harsh Chhaya, and Tanya Maniktala.  Released in the United States on July 4, 2024, and in India on July 5, 2024, the film has a commando rescuing passengers from a group of bandits on an express train.

The film was written and directed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat, who also directed films such as “Saluun”, “Long Live Brij Mohan”, and “Hurdang”.  It seems that nowadays, we can’t enjoy a peaceful ride without getting interrupted by people killing each other.  It does make for some diverting entertainment if it is fiction, but if it were real, it would definitely put a damper on our vacation plans.  In traditional Hollywood fashion, we had another action-packed thrill ride on the Fourth of July holiday that’s as explosive as a fireworks show.  However, this particular film isn’t like the other big-budget modern blockbusters.  Instead, it’s a claustrophobic, white-knuckled thriller involving a train ride full of blood and guts.  I guess Brad Pitt wasn’t the only one with train problems.  This latest thriller from India hopes to please its audience with its violence and enormous brutality, but is it good enough to warrant a watch?  Let’s board this train and find out.

The story centers on Amrit Rathod (Lakshya), an army commando in a relationship with his girlfriend, Tulika (Maniktala).  However, his life gets turned upside down when he discovers that Tulika is engaged to someone against her will.  As a result, Amrit quickly boards a train bound for New Delhi to prevent the arranged marriage from occurring.  His trip eventually gets derailed by the arrival of a gang of ruthless thieves led by Fani (Juyal), who begins to terrorize the train’s passengers.  Using his commando skills, Amrit goes on a vengeful killing spree to save the passengers from Fani’s wrath.

I first heard about “Kill” when I attended an early screening of “Boy Kills World”.  It showed a red band trailer of the film before it, and I was immediately hooked.  It may seem like another action thriller involving a protagonist murdering bad people on a form of transportation.  However, it’s also one of those movies whose concepts made me think they have the potential to be nothing but entertaining roller coasters filled with brutalities and crowd-pleasing moments.  So, when I saw that my closest cinema was showing “Kill”, I made it my mission to experience this seemingly fast-paced thrill ride on the big screen and attempt to support Indian cinema whenever possible.  I’m happy to say that I accomplished that mission and had almost all of my expectations met with this miraculous and vicious display of Bollywood action cinema.

What made international cinema competitive against traditional cinema is that the former doesn’t abide by its limitations, particularly the action genre.  Action movies from international countries, such as “The Raid” and “The Night Comes for Us”, don’t hold themselves back on the no-holds-barred authenticity of their violence and brutalities.  Along with their visionary techniques and tension-filled narratives, these films showcased that Hollywood doesn’t hold a candle to what other countries can accomplish with their own film industries.  Unsurprisingly, “Kill” is another fantastic example of this theory, utilizing Bhat’s invigorating direction and gradual tension to their capabilities.  It’s an intense, claustrophobic, and extremely violent roller coaster that takes no prisoners in its confined space scenario, satisfying my expectations for a fun and consistently brutal ride.  However, the real shocker that helped “Kill” stand out from the action-thriller crowd was the emotional baggage it carried.

From the film’s first half, “Kill” seemed like another typical thriller involving a skilled protagonist battling terrorists and rescuing the love of his life on a train.  That’s not to say it’s terrible since Nikhil Nagesh Bhat handled the pacing, style, and action sequences exceptionally well, especially the latter for its gruesome imagery and realistic kills.  But it is something that audiences may have seen before in other action thrillers set on a form of transportation.  However, once it got to the second half, the movie took a surprising and intense turn for the better.  It escalated the brutalities compared to the first half, drawing the audience deeper into the action while making them feel squirmish from its kills.  Additionally, it offered a compelling emotional core in Amrit’s character arc as he protects the passengers from the bandits.  The bandits were also given screen time to illuminate their psychological fear of Amrit’s relentless pursuit.  Its genuine depth was also carried by Amrit’s vulnerability.  Amrit may be highly skilled and ferocious due to serving in the army.  However, that doesn’t mean he’s indestructible.  His humanity, both on and off the battlefield, heightened the stakes of the action and the protagonist’s emotional arc, showcasing that the best kinds of action movies involve an ordinary protagonist who’s both a badass and a human being.  This is mainly due to Bhat’s screenplay, which used its genre tropes to reinvigorate its simplistic narrative on a violent and sentimental level.

“Kill” also benefitted from its strong cast, which elevated its exciting narrative and authentic action.  Laksh Lalwani, or Lakshya, makes his feature film debut after receiving success for his role of Porus from the 2017 historical drama series, “Porus”, and many others in the television business.  Fueled with an immaculate amount of viciousness and fury, Lakshya empowers his role of Amrit as India’s action hero with an immensely aggressive and rewardingly layered performance.  Lakshya is easily the movie’s highlight, which is enough to make me interested in his future roles.  Raghav Juyal also did a stellar job at manifesting the classic villain element regarding his performance as Fani.  Fani is the type of antagonist who’s as dangerous and formidable as the hero, with their common intentions aligning with one another.  He’s also someone who can intentionally make you want to jump onto the screen and punch them due to their actions, especially near the end of the first half.  If you felt that way towards Fani, it means Juyal has accomplished that mission.  Tanya Maniktala was also good as Tulika, and Abhishek Chauhan delivered a surprising number of decent moments as Viresh, Amrit’s commando friend.

Overall, “Kill” is a relentless train ride through hell whose white-knuckled presentation and brutal kills match its genuine emotional stakes.  Its familiarity in its first half can be a slight turn-off despite Bhat’s skillful vision and highly entertaining action.  However, if you’re willing to endure it until the second half, you’ll be rewarded with a satisfying and brutal display of chaotic savagery bolstered by its irresistible soul.  With its strong cast, particularly Lakshya, Bhat’s stellar direction and script, compelling emotion, and thrilling violence, the film is a visual and viciously bloody treat that’ll easily impress many fans of the genre, making it the best action film of the year so far.  If you’re in the mood for some savagely violent mayhem this summer, you should definitely board this train.

A-