Star Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat
Director: Kookie Gulati, Robbie Grewal
Jewel Thief – The Heist Begins Movie Review Synopsis:
JEWEL THIEF – THE HEIST BEGINS is the story of a perfect crime. Rehan Roy (Saif Ali Khan), an expert jewel thief, is in hiding in Budapest. He has purposely chosen the Hungarian capital as India can’t extradite him from there. Sadly, Rehan has to risk his life and return to India at the insistence of a dangerous goon-turned-businessman Rajan Aulakh (Jaideep Ahlawat). Rajan wants to steal the Red Sun, a diamond worth Rs. 500 crores. The Red Sun will be housed in a well-known museum, Fortcrest Art Centre, in Mumbai for a few days and Rehan is ordered to rob the diamond failing which there’ll be serious consequences. The museum is well equipped with the latest security. Breaking into the place and stealing the Red Sun will be next to impossible. Meanwhile, Vikram Patel (Kunal Kapoor) of STF is on Rehan’s trail. On top of it, Rehan is also in a spot for the sake of his family. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Jewel Thief – The Heist Begins Movie Story Review:
The story has too many cinematic liberties but has also its share of twists and turns (The opening credits shockingly don’t mention the name of the story writer). David Logan’s screenplay is engaging, especially in the second half. But the writer should have taken care of certain plot points. Sumit Arora’s dialogues are normal; a few one-liners raise laughs, especially the references to the original JEWEL THIEF [1967] and Saif’s royal lineage.
Kookie Gulati and Robbie Grewal’s direction is entertaining. They place this film in the zone of films like DHOOM, FAST & FURIOUS, etc. From the very start, they make it clear that this is one of those films where you have to place your brains aside. Once you do so, you’ll be in for a great ride. A few scenes are quite smart. The manner in which Rehan cons the officers, Gaurav Chaddha (Chirjyot Singh Kohli) and Shekhar (Vinay Sharma), sets the mood. The museum angle also keeps viewers invested. However, the makers reserve the best for the second half. The entire episode on the aircraft is novel and hence, would be loved by the audience.
On the flipside, the film gets a bit in the nonsense zone at times. A Prince of a country takes the risk of flying on a commercial flight because his private jet malfunctioned. It’s strange why his home country didn’t dispatch a spare private jet for him and the diamond’s safety. It is also laughable to see Vikram having zero idea about the change in plan, though he has been tracking the whole angle thoroughly. In fact, his character is the most predictable and cliched aspect of the plot. One knows that this cop will never win, no matter how hard he tries. That’s not all. The character is a man of his wishes; he can fly wherever he wants and he doesn’t seem to report to anybody. The aircraft sequence is interesting but adding the layer of the UK High Commission is a bit too much. It spoiled the otherwise engaging third act. Lastly, the antagonist gets defeated a bit too easily in the end.
Jewel Thief – The Heist Begins | Saif Ali Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat | Official Trailer | Netflix
Jewel Thief – The Heist Begins Movie Review Performances:
Saif Ali Khan looks dashing and his act gives a nice déjà vu of his memorable performance in films like RACE. Performance-wise, he’s first-rate. Jaideep Ahlawat is brilliant as the antagonist, as always. The character needed an actor of his calibre and he did full justice. Nikita Dutta (Farrah), as always, delivers a sincere performance. Thankfully, she has a crucial part to play in the narrative. Kunal Kapoor is decent but is heavily let down by the writing. Chirjyot Singh Kohli and Vinay Sharma raise laughs. Kulbhushan Kharbanda (Jayant Roy), Sumit Gulati (Chunky) and Gagan Arora (Avi) lend able support. Meenal Sahu (Nikki; hacker who helps Rehan) is fine but her character is not properly established. Dorendra Singh Loitongbam (Moosa), Peter Muxka Manuel (Prince Gamunu), Paayal Nair (Jennifer Lobo; museum director) and Ayaz Khan (Manish Ashar; pilot) are fair.
Jewel Thief – The Heist Begins movie music and other technical aspects:
None of the songs sadly have a shelf life, be it the title track, ‘Jaadu’, ‘Lootera’ or ‘Ilzaam’. Shezan Shaikh’s background score is exhilarating.
Jishnu Bhattacharjee’s cinematography is splendid and gives the film a big-screen appeal. Madhur Madhavan and Swapnil Bhalerao’s production design is very rich. The costumes are appealing, especially the ones worn by Saif Ali Khan and Nikita Dutta. Parvez Shaikh, Riyaz-Habib and Kecha Kamphakdee’s action is exciting and not too gory. Phantom Digital Effects and Prime Focus’ VFX is satisfactory. Aarif Sheikh’s editing drags in the middle but overall, it’s appropriate.
Jewel Thief – The Heist Begins Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, JEWEL THIEF – THE HEIST BEGINS is a fun-filled heist film which works due to the performances and twists and turns, especially in the second half. Thanks to the genre and the casting, it’s sure to amass huge viewership.