Crakk: Jeetega… Toh Jiyegaa (2024) Review!!

Synopsis – The journey of a man from the slums of Mumbai to the world of underground extreme sports.

My Take – While Vidyut Jammwal, a trained martial art expert, has proven himself to be indeed quite a spectacular Indian action hero, since his debut as an antagonist in the fairly thrilling Force (2011) opposite John Abraham, success and deserving spotlight continues to evade him as he continuously chooses to star in mostly underwhelming ventures which employ poor scripts to balance his acting prowess and skill set.

Unfortunately, his latest is no different which sees Jammwal re-team with his Commando 3 (2019) helmer Aditya Datt, a filmmaker who has made a career out of good looking bad films like Aashiq Banaya Aapne (2005), Dil Diya Hai (2006) and Will you Marry Me? (2012).

Acting as a mix mash of the Netflix sensation K-drama series Squid Games, the Death Race film series and our very own Luck (2009), the film produced by Jammwal himself under the banner Action Hero Films, indeed delivers a few visually stunning action sequences, but the narrative fails to captivate. It combines too many tropes to make an impact, and ends up with none of them striking a chord.

Sure, touted to be the first-ever extreme sports action spectacle in India, it presents a novel experience, particularly with its high-octane stunts, but the script co-written by Aditya Datt, Rehan Khan, Sarim Momin and Mohinder Pratab Singh ultimately succumbs to its convoluted narrative and technical shortcomings.

Yes, Jammwalians, loyal fans of the actor may find moments to admire, but the film just struggles to leave a lasting impression amidst the clutter of India’s action genre.

The story follows Siddharth “Siddhu” Dixit (Vidyut Jammwal), a daring slum dweller in Mumbai known for his reckless stunts on local trains. Siddhu has only one aspiration in life: to participate in Maidaan, an underground survival sports competition and win the big prize money. But as his older brother, Nihal (Ankit Mohan), had lost his life at the same venue his parents implore him to change his ways.

However, Siddhu remains determined to fulfill his dead sibling’s legacy, and eventually finds himself smuggled to the sports arena in Poland run by the ruthless Dev (Arjun Rampal). Along the way, Siddhu romances Alia (Nora Fatehi), Maidaan’s in-house social media influencer, forms unexpected alliances amidst the high-stakes competition and finds himself tangled in an investigation with Patricia Novak (Amy Jackson), a cop investigating Dev and his illegal arms dealings.

Without a doubt, director Aditya Datt deserves credit to bring to life to a ridiculous script. The characters are thinly sketched, lacking the depth necessary to truly resonate with the audience. Even the protagonist’s motivations seem to lack authenticity, leaving viewers disconnected from the story.

At 154 minutes, its way too dragged and lets boredom seep into it pretty easily. To ensnare the audience’s attention, the film resorted to a bombardment of action, seemingly unaware of its incongruity with the tale at hand, employing it as a desperate lifeline to sustain intrigue.

Combining various tropes without achieving resonance, leaving viewers perplexed about the film’s underlying message. And as the narrative meanders, it shifts focus without providing satisfactory answers to previous plot points, and compounded by inconsistent editing it makes for a lacking experience.

Yet, despite the narrative shortcomings, it shines in its action choreography and cinematography. From gritty Mumbai streets to Mad Max-inspired landscapes, the visuals are mostly captivating. It’s evident that the film isn’t just calling all adrenaline junkies to enjoy the kick, but it wishes to cater to that particular niche who has a penchant for these extreme sports and action. However, it gets overboard in the process, and goes off track at many places.

In turn exposing, the shortcomings of Vidyut Jammwal as an actor rather than capitalizing on his established skills. Though he delivers in the electrifying action sequences while showcasing his physical prowess, his accent, haircut, and dressing style, accompanied by subpar acting end up being distracting. Then there’s Arjun Rampal aptly playing the antagonist, who bears solid substance and puts up a great show.

Nora Fatehi and Amy Jackson deliver serviceable performances. Jamie Lever delivers as the much needed comic relief, while Bijay Anand and Ankit Mohan are commendable in supporting roles. On the whole, ‘Crakk: Jeetegaa Toh Jiyegaa’ is an underwhelming action thriller that fails to capitalize on its ambitions.