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My thoughts on Commando (2013), Commando 2 (2017) and Commando 3 (2019)

genre: action, adventure, thriller





Last year I was following Scott Adkins channel on YouTube (The Art of Action) where he interviews martial artists like him in the film industry. One of them was Vidyut Jammwal. Honestly, I had not heard of him and was instantly curious of what he could offer. In the past, there had been many action stars in Bollywood with martial arts prowess, but even Akshay Kumar hasn't made a traditional martial arts film. Naturally, I was eager to see if Vidyut would be able to create that subgenre within Bollywood. In a way, he has. But he is not there yet. Let me explain!


Take Commando for example. You are introduced to him as being a one-man army. This is something very common in normal Bollywood films, so not really something new and creative. However, the action is a different matter. Vidyut truly is an excellent martial artist. He is fast, strong and is able to pull off moves like it's nothing. Like Jackie Chan, he can jump over cars, jump through car windows, climb walls and do parkour as if he has been doing that his whole life. I can't state it enough. Vidyut is nothing short of amazing. 



But like Scott Adkins has one fatal flaw. He is in a lot of bad films. And as much as it pains me to say it, Commando, is a bad film. Sure, the action is solid. And even spectacular at times. However the acting and the story is awful. Once upon a time, I myself claimed that complaining about a plot in an action film is pointless. As long as the action is good, you will get your fix. Older me also said that while a plot shouldn't be that important, it should be in service of the action and make events more compelling. If that fails, then at least have some characters who stand out and make it fun. 

Unfortunately, Vidyut and the others came short. To be fair, I am a bit mixed on him. He certainly has a presence, but acting wise he is incredibly limited. He is at his best when doing action. It is therefore incredibly puzzling why the people involved in making his films insist on him having long dialogues and conversations that go nowhere.







Enter Commando 2. Action wise, it's more impressive. There is an action sequence where Vidyut is shown to climb a building with a ladder. No stuntman used. Next to that he is kicking, punching and shooting people left and right. Totally awesome! 



Then the plot kicks in and honestly while I can appreciate the attempt, I still can't believe how stupid it was. In this sequel more than the original, the focus lies on the intrigue and backstabbing. There were many times I was shaking my head. I didn't know whether I was supposed to cry or laugh. Granted, some ludicrous moments in the film do get explained at the end, but in hindsight there was no need to have them in the first place. For a super agent, Karan certainly fails a lot.


However, there are two redeeming elements. One of them is named, Esha Gupta and the other, Adah Sharma. These two women are incredibly hot and beautiful. Especially Adah Sharma was super attractive as she displayed some real comedic talent. And to be honest, she complete stole every scene she was in. Because, unlike Vidyut, she actually has genuine talent. So much so that she forced him to do better. At least as much as he was capable of. 


Overall, at one point it's quite a drag to sit through the elements concerning intrigue since it's hardly original or compelling. Better skip those and watch the action sequences. Apart from the boss fight at the end. That one took too long and pales in comparison with every action sequence before it.






Oh boy, it looks like they checked out the reviews of the two films that came before and decided to switch things up. Commando 3 is a more serious film and had the potential to be great. Unfortunately, this is not the case.



For starters, this film is too political and preachy. Nothing wrong with that, however, you do have to give the substance to back that up. I think in general the film means well only completely overlooks what the target audience is. This film also takes itself far too serious, apart from one moment in the film there is no comic relief whatsoever. The first and second were filled with those moments and were welcome diversions. Here the focus lies on the plot. An imminent terrorist attack somewhere in India. All fine and dandy, but could they have at least shown how ruthless the villains are? I mean, apart from the main one, everybody else were almost insignificant. Not once did I felt any terror or dread like was depicted in Hotel Mumbai for example. If you have seen this film, then you also will find the ending insulting. It was preposterous. I understand the sentiment, but honestly, who do they think they are? Especially, if the film opens with a scene where it is shown how people really act when a dangerous situation occurs. 


But the worst offence is the action. Or the lack of. Sure, there is some action to be enjoyed. But is it of the level shown in previous films? No, not really. Some sequences do look slick and cool, but aren't as hard-hitting as they could have been. Don't get me wrong, it's still better than the action in most Bollywood flicks. Only I expected more and better action. Not less. Normally I wouldn't complain about misleading posters, but this one certainly takes the cake. Karan (Vidyut), does uses a weapon but those shown in the poster and he is certainly not dual wielding them. That would have been awesome. And for that alone, I would have praised the hell out of this film. The only highlight of this film was Adah Sharma. You can be assured I will try to track down more of her films. Such a joy to watch!


Overall, this third part is a real letdown. Yes, it looks more mature and slick, but doesn't give the action Vidyut is famous for. At least not to the extent he usually provides. Such a shame!










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