An action thriller set for the most part aboard a train to New Delhi, ‘Kill’ follows Amrit (Lakshya) and his friend Viresh (Abhishek Chauhan), both trained army commandos. Amrit boards the train in order to derail his girlfriend Tulika’s (Tanya Maniktala) arranged marriage. Things quickly spiral out of control as the train is ambushed by a group of knife wielding bandits looking to rob the train.
A forthright and passionate man, Amrit it shown to return from a mission to a slew of text messages and voicemails from Tulika, informing him of her arranged marriage. Desperate to protect their future, Amrit goes to Tulika to ask her to elope with him. Fearful of her father Baldeo (Harsh Chhaya), a powerful business tycoon, Tulika refuses Amrit’s proposition.
Boarding the train to New Delhi, Tulika and her family are unaware that Amrit and his fellow NSG commando friend Viresh also board. Amrit takes the opportunity and proposes to Tulika, which she accepts. Meanwhile a group of bandits plant their attack on the train, with Fani (Raghav Juyal) leading the attack.
What ensues can only be described as a train robbery gone horribly wrong. With Fani directing his men to seize any and all valuables, his plan is to rob specific coaches and make a clean getaway. Uncovering that Baldeo is aboard the train, Fani reassesses and decides to capture Baldeo for ransom.
The ensuing scuffle results in one of the dacoits dying, with Fani now seeking revenge. With Tulika’s family separated and everyone’s safety in jeopardy, Amrit takes it on himself to set things right by reuniting everyone and eliminating the threat.
‘Kill’ quickly establishes the core of the film, and Amrit’s driving force, to be his love for Tulika. The emotional stakes are raised when Tulika’s little sister ends up on the wring side of the train, prompting Amrit to transform from what we’ve previously only seen as a loving man, into a force of destruction.
Taking on one wave of bandits after the other, Lakshya delivers an initially unassuming but ultimately fearsome combatant. Seemingly unstoppable, the man cuts, kicks and punches his way through a sea of offenders ultimately being met head on by a man equally as fueled by rage as him, on the path of avenging his father.
Lakshya presents Amrit as a skilled warrior and allows for the man to get hurt and even to be defeated, allowing the viewers to sense a real threat to the protagonist. With multiple extended single shot close combat fight sequences and a masterful use of the surrounding environment, the film delivers a slew of ultra-violent exchanges that both excite and horrify.
Keeping tensions high, Fani leads the dacoits with a singular goal and a relentless and amoral approach in achieving it. Slashing his way to the cash-cow that is Baldeo, Raghav Juyal delivers a deplorable character fueled solely by greed and gaining the upper hand. Further exacerbating Amrit’s wrath, Fani cements his role as malicious and an unnecessarily cruel individual who operates under the ‘eye for an eye’ creed as he takes Tulika’s life. Further fueling Amrit’s rage, Fani doubles down and decides to fully commit to walking away from the situation with all or nothing.
Resolving in an absolute bloodbath, Amrit is blinded by rage and makes a show of disintegrating anyone and everyone in his path as he wades through the bandits in search of Tulika’s little sister. Culminating in a final showdown as violent as can be expected by this point, the film ultimately concludes on a sorrowful reconciliation as the bandits are taken out and the remaining survivors reunite.
Bittersweet, ‘Kill’ manages to convey the pain all of its main players experience and delivers a gut-punch because of the emotional connections rather that just shocking displays of savagery as they unfold. Beautifully executed and choreographed, the combat sequences deliver an overkill of shocking displays of violence. Ultra-violent and horrifying, ‘Kill’ executes its machinations perfectly on a technical level and delivers an absolute joyride in terms of thrills.
Score: 4/4
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