Max Review: Khaidi Rehash

BOTTOM LINE
Khaidi Rehash

RATING
2.25/5

CENSOR
U/A, 2h 13m

What Is the Film About?

In a suburban police station, the sons of two powerful MLAs are held under arrest by the new station in charge Arjun Mahakshay aka Max (Sudeep). Everyone in the station fears the repercussions of this arrest and wants to get them out or get out as soon as possible. And then an unexpected thing happens.

What happens when the entire army of goons attacks the police station to get the MLA’s sons? The basic story is what Max does to save the cops on that fateful night. The twenty-four hours of action constitute the movie’s plot.

Performances

Sudeep is seen as an action hero in Max. He does an uninhibited act as Max goes full mass mode. The body language and dialogue delivery are dialled up to match the over-the-top tone.

Right from the start, many moments are designed to highlight the mass characterisation. Sudeep enjoys every moment and goes all out gleefully maintaining an intense yet mass appeal. The role perse offers nothing new, but the fun aspect makes it memorable.

Analysis

Vijay Karthikeyaa directs Max. It is an out-and-out action thriller genre movie.

Max is a relentless action thriller where the story happens within one night. The opening segment instantly reminds one of the popular Tamil movie Khaidi without any doubt. However, the similarity ends there (at a conceptual level). The story here is different.

The narrative moves at a breakneck pace and that is established within the first few minutes itself. A lot of information is passed and one might miss it in the blink of an eye if one isn’t tuned to the proceedings.

What we also understand within the first few minutes or so is that the story is going to be simple. It is about a higher police officer saving his subordinates. The dual narrative where the cop acts as savior plus the whole thing happening within the night is where the key factor lies. The movie delivers decently on both those scores.

The first half moves at a brisk pace without giving any breathing space. It is fine, but the high-pitched action from the cast and the overall tone makes one confused as to what is happening due to lack of clarity. The key developments happen in a jiffy. Everything seems like a set-up for the hero to shine and that’s where the movie works.

The interval block with the ticking time clock is well designed. The urgence can be felt and the excitement and thrill factor work in it’s facvor making one look forward to the second half.

Post intermission, the pace is not at the same level. The calmer portion add to the the thrill, but the action sequences feel lengthy and overdone. It reaches a peak at the climax mark.

The hero outwitting everyone is too simply done. Given the contrains it might look fine, but the way things happen by that time, takes away all the difficulty expectations. It gets clear that hero will easily solve the issue and get out of the problem immediately. The ideas are fine, but how it happens could be beter for a more gripping proceedings.

By pre-climax it is clear where things are headed. A twist at the moment is good, but the subsequent over the top and overblown climax could have been handled better. The whole climax gives a convoluted feeling. An army marching to decimate the police station is not felt. The closure tying up all the threads is again, good.

Overall, Max is an action thriller is Khaidi terrain. If one has liked the latter, there is a high chance of liking the former as well. However, it is not as gripping and gets into an overblown zone after a point. Still, if you like action movies with strong protagonist, and back to back mass elevations, try it.

Performances by Others Actors

Apart from the hero, everyone else is a supporting actor. Among them, Ilavarasu and Ugramm Manju are the ones who easily stand out. The former especially has a key emotional moment which he has done well. Sunil feels wasted and so is the case with other known faces like Sharth Lohithasawa, Vamsi Krishna, Redin Kingsley etc. Varalakshmi Sarathkumar is better compared to them, but she too gets relegated to the backseat after a point.

Music and Other Departments?

B Ajaneesh Loknath provides the music and background score for the movie. The songs don’t matter much here as it’s all about the BGM, and on that score, the music director delivers in his unique style. It is loud and bombastic but works well within the narrative.

The cinematography too is good and so is the editing which is sharp. The action choreography is fine throughout except the climax sequence which looks muddled. One can’t get a clear idea as to what is happening here. The writing is okay within the confines of the setting.

Highlights?

Screenplay

Sudeep

BGM

Small Twists And Turns

Mass Moments

Drawbacks?

Gets Repetitive After A Point

Lack Of High At The End

Weak Villains

Did I Enjoy It?

Yes

Will You Recommend It?

Yes, mainly to those who love mass-action movies with a difference

Max Telugu Movie Review by M9