"RAW" Movie Review: Possessing A Strong Religious Theme, But Hampered By A Weak Story
Ariana Linh|Apr 29, 2019
Director Robbie Grewal's new spy flick "RAW" has an interesting premise. However, the acting, questionable direction, and a weak story are barely worth your time.
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RAW, or Romeo Akbar Walter, is Indian director Robbie Grewal's newest drama about a spy on his secret mission. Indians are no strangers to spy flicks since they are released quite often. However, RAW, unfortunately, joins the rank as just another forgettable movie.
RAW follows banker Romeo (played by John Abraham), a recruit by Srikant Rai (Jackie Shroff), chief of the organization RAW. Rai gives Romeo an undercover assignment: To crack down the operations of an arms dealer from Pakistan.
This trope isn't new. One example is Meghna Gulzar’s Raazi. However, RAW failed to be as good nor did it do anything to differentiate itself from others.
The problem of RAW can be seen right off the bat. Everything seems to go too well for our protagonist. Thus, the enemies and challenges pose no danger to Romeo. Furthermore, the film can't seem to hit its climax at any point. Also, although espionage tactics should be the main draw of a spy flick, RAW manages to make them uninteresting.
The only upside to this movie is its take on religion. Romeo is an Indian Muslim, and Grewal doesn't miss any chance to make this a focal point of the film. This move appeals RAW to the vast majority of nationalistic Indians, and prove to be a solid choice for character development.
Nonetheless, there are still so many glaring problems which lead to RAW's failure. For example, the romance between Romeo and his love interest, played by Mouni Roy, is forced and redundant. Also, the CGI feels cheap and out of place.
Among the whole cast, Sikander Kher and Anil Geroge complete their portrayals outstandingly with convincing performances. However, we can't say the same about the rest.
As the main character, John Abraham fails at being charming. His body language is authentic, but that doesn't make up for how monotone he is when delivering lines.
Meanwhile, Mouni Roy doesn't have much to work with either. As a diplomat/intelligence agent, she makes calls and acts like they are essential things in the world.
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