Steinesongo Too many fans seem to be blown away

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Merolliv I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Peter Young Johnny Gaddaar is what we call superb entertainment. It is a damn good thriller - gripping, riveting, dark and suspensive, and it will definitely have you glued to your seat throughout. Director Sriram Raghavan, who earlier directed the excellent Ek Hasina Thi, directs this movie with great integrity and understanding of the required mood, capturing every moment of it with sheer skill. He clearly takes inspiration from James Hadley Chase novels and several classic movies from India and abroad to create a true westernised Indian pulp fiction, and this makes it the more so enjoyable and fun. The movie presents a realistic yet different cultural world that is just fun to watch, but most importantly, it has style. And this style is created not only by the terrific screenplay, but also by its clever use of its technical aspects. The slick cinematography, the impressive camera work, the great editing, and the awesome background score, all contribute to the film's suspense and unpredictability. The acting is roundly good, from Dharmendra, who delivers one of his finest works in recent years, to Vinay Pathak who rocks as always to the hot Rimi Sen, the wonderful Ashwini Khalsekar to Govind Namdeo and Zakir Hussan, everyone does well. The movie, however, clearly belongs to Neil Nitin Mukesh, who delivers a very convincing debut performance, effectively playing the many shades of his character. He can be naive, sophisticated, devious or just indifferent, but he is just the real Johnny. Johnny Gaddaar is a movie everyone would enjoy watching - a thriller which is taut, twisted, fast-paced, unpredictable, and just very entertaining.

sumanbarthakursmailbox Put your hands together for Johnny Gaddaar, director Sriram Raghavan's brilliant thriller about a gang of five cons who raise Rs two-and-a-half-crore between themselves so they can participate in a shady deal that's going to double their investment. A motley mix of the young and the more experienced, this gang has the perfect plan. But that plan goes horribly wrong when one of them hatches a foolproof plan of his own, and discreetly steals everyone else's money. It's a job so well done, that the traitor slips right back into the gang without anyone suspecting him for the betrayal. The gang, now furious over losing their money, set out to find out who, after all, was the mastermind behind this double-cross.Unquestionably one of the smartest films I've seen recently, the biggest strength of Johnny Gaddaar is its unpredictability. Unlike most conventional thrillers with a heist at its core, this one's not a whodunit – it can't be, because you know all along who's done it – the question instead is, how's he going to get away with it? That premise of course makes for an exciting two-hour film. Only problem is, Johnny Gaddaar is well over two hours – two-and-a-half-hours to be precise – and for a nail-biting thriller, that's just way too long.Unfolding like a Coen Brothers film where a series of fortunate accidents or divine interventions keep the plot from ever getting mundane, Johnny Gaddaar avoids clichés and smashes stereotypes as it makes its journey from opening credits to the end. Really the film's biggest accomplishment is the manner in which it compels you, the viewer to think differently – midway through the film you've got the drift, you begin to expect the unexpected, you even begin to predict what's going to happen next. That's the level of involvement you're able to muster up for this film.To give credit where it's due director Sriram Raghavan delivers on both style and content. Peppering his film with pop cultural references in a manner reminiscent of Tarantino's trademark style, Raghavan pays homage to Vijay Anand and his oeuvre of pacy thrillers – Jewel Thief, Teesri Manzil and of course Johnny Mera Naam, from where Raghavan's film derives its title. Revelling in its unflashiness, Johnny Gaddaar is stylish in a way that other films are not – its style lies in the ordinariness of the way crimes and murders are committed in the film. No fancy slo-mo shots, no piercing sound effects, just the immediacy of desperate crime. Raghavan scores big points on characterisation, he writes his every lead as a real, flesh-and-blood person, and then casts just the perfect actor for every role. Dharmendra as the mastermind behind the operation, Zakir Hussain as the crass club-owner, Vinay Pathak as the smarmy card-shark, and Neil Nitin Mukesh as the rookie, the youngest member of the gang – you couldn't find better actors to fill out these roles. Zakir Hussain in particular, stands out with a performance that is ingenious in every sense of the word. And Neil Nitin Mukesh makes an inspired debut; he's clearly an actor to look out for. If there's one problem and one problem alone with Johnny Gaddaar, it's the fact that the screenplay slips up in the second half. The film's about 30 minutes too long, and as a result, even the unpredictability becomes monotonous. It's a thriller very unlike his own previous film Ek Hasina Thi, and very unlike most thrillers you've seen recently. Watch it because it's that rare film that actually expects you to use your brain.

itsmyreview i had seen a film of this director and thought this is going to be like that but what the,how the hell was i saying after i saw the movie.............i was surprised because it was not like his earlier work but very different and very good.i felt good because i had never thought a movie like this would have made....................i MEAN in bOLLYWOOD off-course............now i don't know if this film is any others rip off and i would be very disappointed because that originality brings this to my very own list of my fav movies. sriram has done good work.........the screenplay was good ,the background music was good but i would have liked it if no songs were included i don't like songs in between movies. first when i saw johnny accidentally kill.....i got thinking i meant u know we all get his plan of fainting him stealing the money....simple but wait the kill ......whats going to happen now.....thts what happened to me.........and the most funny......how he comes up with name that was a good one....at one point i would say many will say how the hell is he gonna get out of this now..but some how he does it every time....i mean the the little twist came after one another that was brilliant..u know the least expected for me was that he would die........really who thought that would happen ...........................every body acted well.....for new comer he did OK...........overall it was BRILLIANT WORK.........i still don't know is how did this not go for Oscar nomination and that stupid eklavya got to go....DAMN!!!

bnarsim Sriram raghavan may not be India's most famous director but he has come out one of the best movies of the last 3 or 4 years.The plot is good and the twists add to the strength of the film .As far as music is concerned , Shankar Ehsaan and Loy have come out with good tracks and the lyrics by jaideep sahni are good.Neil nitin mukesh gets a dream debut and makes most of his role Dharmendra is OK,not great.Vinay Pathak and Zakir hussain are very good.All in all , a very good movie experience. its 8 on 10 for this one from Sriram Raghavan.