Razor Movie Review: When Ravi Babu takes over the director’s chair, it’s with Razor, and the movie is just like the kind the director makes when he lets his darker side out to play. There is no such thing as an obligatory song, elaborate diversions or an attempt to make the violence emotionally palatable for the widest possible audience. Instead, viewers are thrown immediately into a bloody survival drama of a hunted child, corrupt politicians and a desperate protector that all converge in a tightrope set of twists.
There won’t be any doubt the graphic violence will split audiences. Others were abnormally explicit, but the uncertainty kept me drawn and pulled into the tale. Ravi Babu might not be able to sell it as an action hero in all scenes, but his ability in suspense writing is impeccable. At the end of the day, there had been a gritty and emotionally charged thriller which mostly never got boring, until the climax.
The main story line was what initially caught my eye. The party of politicians wishes the death of a small child. The film slowly and slowly shows the audience why the child is being hunted, what is the key secret the child possesses, and how the politicians are involved in the bigger secret. Meanwhile the story is a tale of the hero’s frantic efforts to save the child’s life.
Heavy on the reveals, but the film’s one of its strongest features is how it manages the reveals. Ravi Babu holds back on revealing any secrets prematurely, rather indicating twists at regular intervals in the interval block and around the second half. There were several surprises that were truly surprising me and that was one of the best things about the film; it was unpredictable.
But what really makes Razor so great is how violent it is. For good reason, the film has an A certificate. Chopped limbs, broken hands, severed heads and graphic bloodshed occur repeatedly. Ravi Babu certainly doesn’t hold back when it comes to the action scenes. The film is meant to have an impact on the audience that appreciates raw and brutal action films.
The fight choreography keeps increasing in the level of brutality and a couple of moments depend more on the shock value than restraint. The audience that appreciates the stylish and gory thrills will surely love the movie.
It’s a fairly solid product as far as tech goes. The cinematography is quite gritty, best suited to the dark undertones of the story. The background score works well to raise the tension in dramatic moments, and adds to the suspense. Also I liked the way the film didn’t go the usual way of commercial films. Useless songs and flashy item numbers don’t break up the story line. Anything after the opening story starts, is smoothly picked up, advanced with twists, chase scenes and the emotional confrontation. It was a continuous flow that held me hooked all the way through.
But on the other hand, I had some misgivings. I was reminded too much of his older films when Ravi Babu appeared. I would have liked to see him try out a different look as the familiar style sometimes made him feel repetitive. More significantly, although Ravi Babu is an oddball filmmaker who brings some unique twists to his films, I didn’t buy him as an action hero during a few fight scenes. I had seen him in so many roles playing villains, comedians, I didn’t always feel it when he was dominating the scene with a lot of mass action.
But, Ravi Babu demonstrates his expertise in storytelling in a thriller once again. The dramatic parts are linked well, the suspense is maintained throughout the film and the climax is undoubtedly its greatest feature. At the conclusion, Razor has most of the things one would expect of a violent thriller, suspense, brutality, emotional reasons and endless twists.
If you like fast-paced action packed with graphic violence and no letdowns, Razor will become a rewarding movie to watch.
Rating: 3.5/5