Attack movie review: Dhoolpet gang wars fail to make the kill

Cast: Manchu Manoj, Surabhi, Prakash Raj, Jagapathi Babu, Vadde Naveen and Poonam Kaur
Director: Ram Gopal Varma

 

With an impressive star cast comprising Prakash Raj, Jagapathi Babu and Manchu Manoj, Ram Gopal Varma’s Attack released on Friday. RGV’s last film Killing Veerappan was a hit and the director is now back with his favourite premise of gang wars. This time with Dhoolpet as the backdrop.

Gururaj (Prakash Raj) is a businessman and a gang leader in Dhoolpet who is brutally killed by another gang. His elder son Kali (Jagapathi Babu) wants to take revenge for his father’s murder and starts enquiring into who is behind it. Bit he, too, is mysteriously killed.

It is now Gururaj’s third son Radha’s (Manchu Manoj) turn to seek revenge. His second son Gopi (Vadde Naveen) doesn’t like all this bloodshed and is in favour of ending this war. The story then goes on to reveal who is behind the attack on Gururaj and how Radha eliminates everyone.

Ram Gopal Varma is by now an expert in gang war films. However, in Attack he has totally failed. He takes too much time to come to the point and things start falling into place only after the interval. The story, too, is nothing new, but the way he has set the story in the backdrop of Hyderabad’s Old City is interesting. But once the plot is revealed and the rival gangs attack each other, the movie loses its hold.

The film is replete with the typical “RGV” emotions with close shots of the actors, and the action scenes are also good. The camera work is brilliant like most of his films, as he has captured the city very well. When it comes to performance, Manchu Manoj steals the show. He perfectly fits into the character and showcases his talent. Prakash Raj is good as usual and Jagapathi Babu too. Attack is a comeback film for Vadde Naveen and he has done his part well.

There was not much scope for Surabhi to perform as Manchu Manoj’s love interest. Abhimanyu Singh is just OK. Technically, the film is good with the typical RGV kind of camera angels, especially in action scenes. The killing of Prakash Raj is brutal, right up RGV’s alley. However, the music is a big negative as the re-recording is not up to the mark and is not suited for the film. On the whole, Attack does not impress, except for a few scenes. The story is weak and the narration is confusing, also there are too many flashbacks involving Prakash Raj.