Movie Review: Don 2

Far be it for me to present myself as any type of authority on Bollywood films, but I do have an appreciation of them. I ask also thankful the Regal Cinema chain to actually be putting some in their theaters. There have been two in the past couple of months, first was Ra One and now we have Don 2, coincidentally starring the same man, Shah Rukh Khan. So, I have definitely taken the opportunity to avail myself of them while they are there and I hope the trend continues and perhaps expand to include other world cinema.



Sadly, I have not seen the first Don, which was released in 2006 and was a remake of a film from the 1970's starring Amitabh Bachchan. Fortunately, I don't think it was really necessary to get this one as their are appropriate flashbacks and background information, otherwise it appears to be is own story. Te story itself is an easy one to follow, it boils down to a heist film and comes with all the requisite parts.

As it opens we are on a yacht with a group of European drug lords and they are discussing the impact that Don (Khan) will have as it is clear he wants in now that he controls the Asian drug market. They quickly decide that he needs to be eliminated. The scene then shifts to Southeast Asia where Don is going to make a deal and learns of the hit out on him. This leads to a big fist fight/shoot out that shows just how adept Don is at dispatching his enemies.

Well, the knowledge of the oncoming horde of European hitmen and their Asian lackies, Don formulates a plan that will slowly be revealed over the film. It is also here where it shifts from being a mob-style action film to the heist movie. We essentially forget about those other drug guys for the bulk of the movie, heck, we even forget that he is a drug lord. I guess it doesn't really matter as this is all about the heist.

We follow Khan as he flies into Kuala Lumpur and promptly turns himself in to his nemesis from the fest film, Roma (Priyanka Chopra). He says he has a deal to make, turning over all of his contacts and such in exchange for worldwide immunity. Now this is a pretty tall order and not one they think they will be able to do. Turns out that it is partially a ruse for him to get inside, contact another former foe, Vardhaan. The two stage an escape and head to Berlin to kick off the heist, the target being Euro printing plates.

So, Don, Vardhaan, and a couple others plot the heist while Roma tries to find a way to stop him. It all ends up in big showdown inside the bank between Don, the police, Roma, and a few others. There are some big action bits and shootouts through to the end where get an expected, but well executed twist.

You know, this movie is rather fun. It is pretty shallow, but it has a lot of style and flash. The production values are pretty solid and the action is staged well. I was a little disappointed that there was only one song production. Sure, there were a couple of lengthy musical montages, but only one big number.

In the end, Don 2 is a solid action/heist movie. It is by no means a game changer, but it is certainly enjoyable and well worth spending some time with.

Recommended.