‘Kill’ (2024) Review: The Beast Within
Nikhil Nagesh Bhat’s Kill will most definitely be compared to every Hollywood action movie in existence. In fact, Chad Stahelski (John Wick) will be directing the English-language remake of the Indian movie for Lionsgate, announced days before the theatrical release day.
It’s a shockingly brutal and violent film that takes place inside a train and delivers well-choreographed action scenes and an intriguing plot. While comparisons might be expected, Kill holds no limitations to what it can offer to Indian cinema.
The movie gets right to the story’s conflict. Amrit (Lakshya) is an army commando who has to rescue his lover Tulika (Tanya Maniktala) from an arranged marriage set by her father’s approval. Tuilka and her family board the train bound for New Delhi the next day. Amrit and his best friend and captain, Viresh (Abhishek Chauhan), also board the train to save the love of his life, but things take a turn for the worst when a group of train robbers storm the train and terrorise the passengers. The bandits are led by Fani (Raghav Juyal), who is relentless in his pursuit to find Amrit and kill him. Amrit and Viresh take matters into their own hands to protect the passengers on the train and save Tulika and her family.
Kill displays violent scenes between Amrit, Viresh and Fani’s band of brothers in an adrenaline-fueled story in one location and successfully pulls off the emotional conflict. It’s incredible how Bhat portrays Amrit and Tulika’s love story amidst the chaotic train ride and manages to show the heartfelt moments to examine the hero and protagonist’s vulnerability. The male protagonists in Indian movies are usually emotionless and stoic, devoid of any vulnerability, but Lakshya’s Amrit shows his humanity and empathy towards Tulika, her family and the passengers.
While Kill shows the emotional side of Amrit, it also showcases the personal conflict, maybe naivety of his Fani’s intentions, which changes his belief in attacking his enemies with no mercy. When Viresh kills one of the robbers, Amrit disapproves of it. But his perspective changes when Fani and his gang attack Tulika’s family and the passengers.
Amrit turns into a beast and releases the anger and motivation to attack Fani and the gang for their treatment towards Tulika and the passengers. Attack after attack, Amrit shows that not even he is invincible to Fani’s violence. He is adamant about getting rid of Amrit, by any means necessary, even if it means sacrificing his fellow robbers, some of whom are his family.
One aspect of Kill that could have been explored is Amrit’s background. It’s clear that he is a commando in the Indian army. At the beginning of the movie, it doesn’t explore his strength and capabilities in the field. It is quite shocking to see Amrit and Viresh wield knives, dismember people’s bodies and show off martial arts skills all of a sudden. When they attack the robbers, they exhibit godlike abilities that make them invincible against their enemies. By not showing their strengths earlier in the movie, it’s difficult to understand why these characters suddenly have powers that allow them to fight Fani and his train robbers.
Bhat’s Kill is a violent movie that mixes romance, drama and action into one story. If the mission was to maximise violence after each round, this movie has shown that it can successfully one-up action sequences after each kill, and there isn’t a dull moment. This train ride is a thrill that never stops, and the beast within ravages his foes with ultimate, satisfying kills until it reaches its final destination.
Here are some reading materials to learn about the genocide, ethnic cleansing and illegal occupation in Palestine:
Books about Palestine on Verso Books
Books about Palestine on Haymarket Books
More reading materials on Palestine
Operation Olive Branch is another useful resource to help families evacuate to Egypt and buy medicine and food by donating directly to their GoFundMe links.
You can also join the BDS (Boycott, Divest, Sanction) movement, a Palestinian-led movement as a form of resistance to Israeli occupation:
Read about Readers for Accountability on their website.
