Phantom

Kabir Khan delivers a yet another winner with 'Phantom'. An engrossing, action-thriller, that also has a patriotic touch to it. Though not without its flaws, 'Phantom' still packs a punch!

'Phantom' Synopsis: A disgraced Indian soldier carries out a series of assassinations (the evil heads behind the 26/11 terror attacks) in the hope of restoring his honor.

'Phantom' is an action-packed tale, with a patriotic punch to it. This is a story you indeed wish was true, as justice to served to those who caused a havoc. Khan successfully begins the film & mostly sustains the pace well, as the action is simply superb. The second-hour also engages you, with the final 30-minutes holding your attention completely. You root for the protagonist in his violent journey, which shifts from one country to another. However, Khan & Kausar Munir's Screenplay, which has been Adapted by Hussain Zaidi's book Mumbai Avengers, could've been smarter. The first-hour isn't crisp, as some of the sequences are uneven & even the escapism in this tale, is a bit unbelievable at times. But, otherwise the Writing is solid. The narrative is fast-paced & offers enough scope for some relentless action, which certainly works.

Khan's Direction is stylish. He has handled 'Phantom' with precision. Cinematography is lavish, capturing all the locales with flourish. Editing needed to be sharper in the first-hour, but is good otherwise. Action-Sequences by Sham Kaushal are awe-inspiring. Music by Various Artists is nice. Background Score is well-done, as well.

Performance-Wise: Saif Ali Khan is in terrific form here, enacting the heroic part to perfection. Its so good to see the talented actor in an action-ordinated role after a hiatus. Katrina Kaif is flat. Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub is first-rate, yet again. Sabyasachi Chakrabarty is impressive.

On the whole, 'Phantom' isn't entirely power-packed, but yet it scores higher on pluses. Recommended!

I personally liked the movie. I disagree that it passes on the message of hatred towards Pakistan. It portrays hatred against terrorism and brings justice to the people of 26/11 attacks.I read other reviews and for some odd reason I felt connected to each and every scene of it.

Though some the scenes like planning the murder is Chicago,fight scenes in Syria doesn't seem like realistic but then it's supposed to be a movie which has drama as its genre.

A very honest attempt by the director and the Script Writer to bring attention to the Govt of Pakistan to hand over the terrorists to India.

Arijit's song added the extra niche of brilliance which is sung with so much emotion.

Good work Saif Ali Khan. Thumbs up !!

Well never watched such an excellent cinema from more than a decade, everything was perfect, no flaw in the movie, Katrina kaif and saif ali khan definitely best actors of India, they both deserve national awards for their performances, its a perfect roller coaster ride, 1st half it was action packed thriller, and second half makes you all emotional and patriotic, climax superb, best vfx, best acting, best direction, and everything perfect, all awards to Phantom this year, and especially to Katrina kaif, she is best actress of India, unnecessarily criticized by some dumb haters, she outshine everyone else with her performance, be it an emotional scene, action sequence, romantic angle, or even a comic relief in 1 scene, she is par brilliance.

Phantom is a deep political thriller with certain technical flaws but a movie which is potential of delivering a strong fervor of the helpless patriotism. The movie is entirely a fictional one and an Utopian one but brings before the viewers the shrewdness of international relations. Apart from Saif and Katrina's works, one finds the vociferous Sabyasachi Chakrobarty and flickering brilliance of Md. Ayyub. The musical numbers are engaging. Going by the ratings, the movie is not bound to do well but do give it a watch if you are not much bugged by the ratings and if you're not a expert technician, acting as the jack of all trades !

Tackling the easy part of the review first: looking strictly technically, this movie is very well-made. The suspense is gripping, and the thrills keep you on the edge of your seat. I felt my heart beat faster during the climax! The action scenes are awesome as is the cinematography with so many diverse locales captured so aesthetically around the world. The chaos shown in war-torn Syria is very well-depicted. Direction is also on par with some good performances.

The story is very gripping. Films based on books (Mumbai Avengers) are almost always better than those copied off other films (which unfortunately seems to happen a majority of the time in Bollywood). The machinations behind murders, sequence of events surrounding each incident, and the plot in general is very clever. The final two scenes really pull at your heartstrings and are very powerful.

Phantom brings many disturbing truths to the surface. Most shocking to me is the U.S.'s harboring of terrorists within its borders and using refugee camps as an excuse to supply weapons to jihadists. However, honestly, I am not surprised as the U.S. government is known to spread more violence throughout the world than any other country to profit from the business of bloodshed, and I know the American government gave birth to the Taliban during the Cold War in an effort to crush Russia. It's something that makes me ashamed of being an American.

It must be apparent now that I am not an advocate of war, violence, or hatred. I am a Gandhian and fully believe in the fact that "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." Given that, I do not support the path of vigilante "justice" proposed in Phantom. Bloodshed only gives birth to more terrorists, even if the person dying deserves to be killed. I never supported America's "War on Terrorism" (some paradox that is) nor would I support India carrying out something of this sort. The film raises the point, "If America can do it, why can't we?" My answer to that is, "Two wrongs don't make a right."

In conclusion, the movie is very well-made with a great story and plot. You do cheer for the protagonist--after all he is trying to kill the masterminds of the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai--something very painfully close to all of our hearts. How can one not want to see them die? However, putting aside the passion invoked in the heat of the action scenes, I do not support the message delivered--one that promotes hatred, violence, and revenge. We've had enough of such movies going back to the highly provocative Gadar and all the J.P. Dutta films. Through movies like Bajrangi Bhaijaan, we need to build a peaceful world for future generations.