'Fateh' review: Sonu Sood struggles to save half-baked film
What's the story
Fateh, co-written and directed by Sonu Sood, feels like an overwhelming mish-mash of several action-thrillers with a heavy dose of cybercrime.
Unfortunately, for all its slick action and the fast-paced first half, the film is painfully predictable and will remind you of several other films/shows about cybercrime.
At 130 minutes, it may not be too long, but it fails to offer anything new.
Story
Here's what happens in the story
The film follows Fateh (Sood), an ex-special agent who has left his previous life behind and settled in Moga, Punjab.
However, he is forced to pick up arms again when his friend dies by suicide due to a widespread network of a loan scam, and another friend goes missing due to the same reason.
Naseeruddin Shah and Vijay Raaz play the antagonists.
#1
Can you sit through excessive, gory violence?
How much violence is too much violence?
On more than one occasion, Fateh guns down several men at once, smashes skulls, chops off a man's ears, and hacks people to death—all while wearing a deadpan expression.
Fateh is in competition with itself to take the violence several notches higher with each scene, and it feels gratuitous and nauseating after a point.
#2
More on the above point
The interval point says: "Brace yourselves, you will need this break."
And sure enough, most of the second half is dedicated to unabashed bloodshed and gore, so much so, that you would begin praying for the end credits to roll.
One sequence is completely reminiscent of the famous corridor fight scene from Animal, and the film's foundation shakes due to such problems.
#3
We aren't entirely invested in the story
The macabre violence aside, Fateh struggles to keep you completely invested because we have seen such stories before, and the twists and turns fall largely flat.
The symbolism is too on the nose at times, and the points the film should have made through conversations are simply delivered through exposition.
Fateh seems to say: Don't ask any questions, just keep watching.
#4
Supporting actors are largely wasted
Jacqueliene Fernandez, who plays ethical hacker Khushi and helps Fateh at the cost of her own life, doesn't have much to do, and her struggle to speak Hindi also gets in the way.
Raaz and Shah are wasted, and they are portrayed as cliché mafia kingpins.
They bring their usual gravitas to the roles, but the substandard dialogues let them and their craft down.
#5
Positives: Most of the first half works very well
Coming to what works, I was invested in the story in the first half due to its pacing, the supporting characters, and the central mystery.
In these parts, the scenes don't overstay their welcome, the performances work, and the film deftly shows how frauds and scams are capable of corroding lives anywhere and everywhere.
#6
Sood's performance and the film's missed potential
The film also tends to surprise with its dialogues and action scenes.
Sood carries the film expertly and is in nearly every frame.
He shines the best in dramatic and emotional sequences, and it would have been much better had the film focused more on that instead of mindless violence.
If Fateh had a powerful emotional hook, it would be much more engaging.
Verdict
Can give it a miss; 2/5 stars
Fateh had the potential to be a strong drama thriller but the dramatic aspects have been glossed over and the thrill part isn't enticing enough.
Worse, after a point, the violence makes you turn and toss in your seat.
Fateh revels in gratuitous violence and swears by bloodshed, but excessive bloodshed doesn't always translate into good films.
2/5 stars.