BOTTOM LINE
Not Wild, Disaster Ride
OUR RATING
1.75/5
CENSOR
U/A, 2h 36m
What Is the Film About?
When a former agent, nicknamed God, goes rogue and forms a syndicate, an unlikely recruit, Ricky (Akhil), comes from nowhere to save the day. How do Ricky and Mahadev (Mammootty) develop a relationship? What is Mission Rabit, and where does the love angle fit amidst all these forms the movie’s overall story.
Performances
After two soft movies back to back, Akhil returns to larger-than-life action fare with Agent. He sports a six-pack and has a different hairdo making him look stylish and cool on screen. We can all see the physical effort for sure.
When it comes to acting, Akhil gets a whacky, wild characterisation in Agent. It is a mixed bag, as only bits and pieces of it work. Some might like it more (depending on individual preference), but even then, it doesn’t work in its entirety.
The reason is Akhil fails to impress in the bigger mass moments. The challenges with the villain, the warning, the intensity in heavy scenes, and the loudness associated with commercial cinema, in general, are where Akhil is yet to arrive. Leaving those moments, the lighter scenes show a visible improvement, and the lively body language is a positive sign. Akhil also tries Telangana slang in parts, which is okay. Agent, therefore, shows the actor as a work in progress where one can see what is working and what isn’t.
Sakshi Vaidya lacks a big-screen presence for a commercial outing. Apart from looking glamorous and having few romantic scenes with the hero, she has nothing much to do. Even here, she is unremarkable. The fact that she goes missing in the second half and one doesn’t care says a lot about the act and the character in the movie.
Analysis
Surender Reddy of Kick and Dhruva fame directs Agent. A spy thriller with lots of action is right down the alley of the director, known for stylish action fares.
The opening stretch, establishing the world of Agent, and the set-up simultaneously highlight its utterly routine premise. It is a spy genre movie, and the director picks all the recent past tropes associated with those flicks.
The only difference in Agent from countless other films of the genre is Akhil’s characterisation. It bears the mark of Surender Reddy. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work as well as he would have imagined.
The poor writing and scenes are to be blamed. The love track involving the lead pair bears the burnt. It fails to provide fun and entertainment. The forgettable songs and their picturisation only add to the woe.
It is only towards the interval that some sort of high is felt. The action block has parts showing us what could have been with Agent when things go right. Some bits and pieces are sure to impress fans and action movie lovers. But, they are a minor glimpse, only raising the hopes for the second half.
Sadly, post-intermission, things go downhill from the start. The action scenes are lengthy and tiring. As if they were not enough, the drama lacks depth and intensity. The miscasting shows as the villain’s over-the-top and illogical acts feel unconvincing.
So, you have a situation where the action doesn’t work for an action movie. It looks clumsy and tiring. The quirkiness to differentiate Agent from others fails. The writing disappoints, bringing the silliness to the fore instead of making it look crazy and wacky. And lastly, the drama lacks bite. In short, Agent fails on all counts.
The pre-climax and climax are too loud and over the top, which makes one look drained out by the time the movie ends.
Overall, Agent is a misfire from Surender Reddy—lacking conviction and glaring shortcomings in providing fun and action, shows. Agent is a wild ride indeed, but a tiring and exhausting one leaving one with all sorts of aches.
Performances by Others Actors
Agent has a few known faces playing key roles, but one can’t help but feel if they are miscast or unnecessary for the part. Mammootty immediately comes to mind when we think of the latter. It is a role that any prominent character actor could play. He doesn’t look convincing in the over-the-top action set-up. The same is the case with Dino Moreo playing the villain. The second half makes things obvious. Varalakshmi Sarathkumar is wasted in an insignificant role. Sampath and Sathya are alright.
Music and Other Departments?
Surender Reddy usually has good taste in music, and his combination with Hip Hop Tamizha previously resulted in a chartbuster album and memorable background score. Agent has none of those, as the album disappoints big time. The background score is alright in parts but mostly is loud and lacks uniqueness.
Rasool Ellore’s cinematography is satisfactory. Some parts could have been better and given a vibe of being shot long ago. Naveen Nooli’s editing is alright. The action needed better execution as it looked clumsy on screen, especially the fight scenes in the second half. The writing is poor.
Highlights?
Interval Block
Large Scale Production
Drawbacks?
Clumsily Edited Action
Second Half
Logicless Plot
Songs
Climax
Did I Enjoy It?
No
Will You Recommend It?
No
Agent Movie Review by M9News
Final Report:
Agent is a wild ride, as Surender Reddy promises, but not in the desired way. It lacks the fun (action, entertainment) and exhausts the patience. Akhil tries his best, but only bits and pieces work. The wait for the true launch continues as Surender Reddy fails to deliver.
First Half Report:
Agent has an utterly routine ‘Spy’ genre premise and setup and the first half. The difference maker is Akhil and his characterization. It elevates what otherwise would be a normal interval block. The second half is extremely critical now.
— Agent started with an introduction to the syndicate mafia that held control over the nation. In a brief action sequence, Ricky (Akhil) was introduced.
Stay tuned for Agent (2022, Telugu Movie) Review, USA Premiere report shortly.
Cast: Akhil Akkineni , Mammootty, Dino Morea, Sakshi Vaidya
Directed by: Surender Reddy
Producer: Ramabrahmam Sunkara
Presenter: Anil Sunkara
Co-Producers: Ajay Sunkara, Pathi Deepa Reddy
Executive Producer: Kishore Garikipati
Banners: AK Entertainments
Story: Vakkantham Vamsi
Music Director: Hip Hop Thamizha
DOP: Rasool Ellore
Editor: Naveen Nooli
Art Director: Avinash Kolla
Stunts: Vijay Master, Stun Shiv
Agent Telugu Movie Review by M9News
