War 2
A direct sequel to 2019's War, although other films within the shared YRF Spy Universe take place in between, War 2 returns Hrithik Roshan as Major Kabir Dhaliwal who, by all appearances, has been working as a mercenary for hire while only his longtime friend Colonel Luthra (Ashutosh Rana) knows is still putting India first even if it is no longer as an official member of the R&AW. The first thing you notice from the film, in an extended action sequence in the mountains of Japan, is how much sleeker and polished it looks compared to the first film (having more than double the budget than the original War).
Working the long game to try and draw out the shadow organization Kali, Kabir and Luthra's plan succeeds but with dire consequences that put Kabir at the top of the hit list for a R&AW task force which includes the equally unstoppable Major Vikram Chelapathi (N. T. Rama Rao Jr.) and Luthra's daughter, and Kabir's old flame (in some timeline wonkiness I'm not sure actually lines up), Kavya (Kiara Advani). Much as in the first film, we see the to male stars at times working together and against each other while the love interest, this time an agent in her own right, gets into the action as well the more romantic flashbacks.
Along with an extended sequence to showcase the failed love affair of Kabil and Vavya, we also get one involving Kabir's childhood and his recruitment as a solider that left behind a best-friend which, to no big surprise, will play into the larger storyline as well. We also get a shorter flashback sequence to a recent mission involving Vikram which quicky defines him as Kabil's equal as he rescues hostages from pirates. And with the pieces set, the fun can commence (with some expected twists).
Having Kabir firmly planted as our protagonist, even if others are unaware of where his true allegiances lie, certainly helps the second time around grounding him as the audience's hero from the start. The action sequences are bigger and more impressive as well including a chase through a city, over a bridge, than ends on top of a train which crazily enough also includes the return of Ruhi (now played by Arista Mehta), if only for a small segment of the film.
Although I watched War before going to see the sequel, I don't think that's necessary (especially as so much of the film's flashbacks are devoted to filling the backstory of the major characters), although the small references to Khalid Rahmani will make more sense to those who have seen the original. While playing fast and loose with logic and common sense, and anything else you can get away with in an action film, War 2 is a marked improvement from War and quite a bit of fun.
Watch the trailer- Title: War 2
- IMDb: link
