2 minutes into the movie, and you know that it is a lift(No, i wont use the word "remake" or "adapted from" because that's what it is, a lift) of "The Usual Suspects". When there was a buzz about "Chocolate" during the build up and ever since we heard about the movie, i expected something else but as it turns out, it's a rehash of the 1995 Hollywood flick. I am OKAY with adaptations and inspirations but what irks me is that they don't even acknowledge the supposed adaptation. Come to think of it, there's no "adaptation" here, it's plain lifting. The end comes as no surprise to anyone who's seen the original. I was also reading Mr. Taran Adarsh's review and believe it or not, even he seemed to like the idea of adapting, he "adapted" from James Berardinelli's review of The Usual Suspects! ("The movie borrows from dozens of sources -- Hitchcock, Scorsese, the Coen brothers and just about every master of the genre, past or present". Check this line out in James' review of the original).
I wont comment on the dialogues and screenplay since there's nothing new here. Anil Kapoor, as the egoistic lawyer, was over the top a few times and his voice-over kind of sounded affected ( "With every case i became smart, smarter, smartest"...cheesy) . Irrfan was expectedly the best among the lot and makes the movie watchable, if only because of his presence.He easily overshadows Anil in their confrontation scenes. His glowering eyes and perfectly restrained performance is a treat to watch. Here's an actor i'll go miles to watch. Arshad Warsi does good in the limited scope that he has. The rest of the cast are alright.
At the end of it, "Chocolate" is not an effort worthy of appreciation.
