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| CULTURE & SOCIETY |
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FILM REVIEW |
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Mushy with potter and guardian angels
Dhruvi Shah
Mumbai
BASED ON THE novel by Nicholas Sparks, The Lucky One is the story of Logan (Zac Efron) and his encounter with a guardian angel.
A marine on the battlefield, Logan finds a laminated photograph of a girl with the words ‘keep safe’ written on it. He believes the photograph keeps saving his life. When out of tour, he decides to go look for her. He does meet her and become a part of her life in a way he couldn’t have imagined. Of course, he has to tell her the truth and that’s the guiding premise of the story.
There’s a scene where Zac Efron’s character is asked his age and he replies with a ‘25’. It is so unbelievable and odd because Zac doesn’t look a day over 17.
There are some love-making scenes between him and Taylor Schilling and those have been delicately shot. They don’t make you uncomfortable but again, it wouldn’t be wise to take the kids along.
There is a problem with the pace of the story. It’s a tad slow making the film seem longer than it actually is. Quite a few conflicts crop up that need to be resolved.
The boys will have reason to complain as the girl’s character is extremely difficult to please. It’s a chick flick throughout.
There are some nice inclusions. Like the boy reading passages from Harry Potter.
The film has been beautifully shot. But there’s something missing.
The Lucky One has enough froth and romance to keep it going but won’t go down well with the coffee lovers who enjoy the bitter taste.
Good old fast-paced choreographed action
Dhruvi Shah
Mumbai
SAFE IS THE story of two central characters, Mei (Catherine Chan) and Luke Wright (Jason Statham) and how their paths cross. Mei, a math prodigy, is abducted by the Triads and forced to work as a ‘counter’.
Luke, a cage fighter, after blowing a rigged fight, comes under the watch of the Russian Mafia. On the run, Luke comes across Mei and decides to save her life. In the process, he discovers, Mei holds the combination to a ‘safe’ the Triads, Russian Mafia and a corrupt faction of the NYPD are after.
The film has been well cast. 12-year-old Catherine Chan has the right expression for the role. Jason Statham of course has quite the fan following and even received cheers and hooting when his character was introduced on screen.
The juxtaposition of their stories is interesting. Where one’s scene is cut, the other’s takes off and a certain intrigue is built until they meet.
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The different meanings the title ‘safe’ takes on during the movie keep you interested |
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The choreographed action appears natural in the given setting. It is a lot of fun watching Jason Statham beat up the baddies to pulp.
Though, it must be kept in mind it is a violent film and carries a PG-13 certificate.
There are some witty lines and moments of humour that keep the fast pace going. The different meanings the title ‘safe’ takes on during the movie keep you interested.
Minus the kids, watch Safe for Jason Statham and some good old action.
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