Race [2008]

There’s a thin line of distinction between stylish directions and employing gimmickry to entice the viewers; Race unfortunately falls in the latter category. Unlike the Coen Brothers, the brother duo of Abbas-Mustan are never known to venture beyond the genre of fast thrillers, and are always known for playing to the gallery; further ‘plagiarism’ is a word they do not treat with contempt. At the heart of the movie lies an insurance policy for accidental deaths, whose source lies in the noir classic Double Indemnity. The story revolves around a meandering plot (with more twists than even the makers of Fargo could have conceived) filled with the usual elements of lust, betrayal and murder. The movie is saved from being a damp squib by the entertaining thrill-a-minute ride and the strong acting performances by the three male leads – Saif Ali Khan as a brooding millionaire, Akshay Khanna as his scheming half-brother, and Anil Kapoor as a gleefully sleazy detective with a voluptuous dumb-as-a-dodo assistant in tow.









Directors: Abbas-Mustan
Genre: Thriller/Crime Thriller/Neo-Noir
Language: Hindi
Country: India