‘Rifle Club’ Movie Review: Aashiq Abu’s stylish film is a treat to watch, but needs better writing

Vijayaraghavan, Dilish Pothan, Darshana Rajendran, Vishnu Agastya and Hanumanjati in Steel from ‘Rifle Club’. Photo credit: Think Music India/YouTube

Dead wild boars and men with guns floating on zip lines through the forest to bungalows, dinner conversations filled with tall tales of hunting and backhanded compliments, residents for whom guns are the one, and possibly only, thing that matters. Their lives – this is the world in which Ashiq Abuko Rifle Club is set. It’s a closed world with strict honor codes, which doesn’t stop characters from mercilessly lampooning anyone else’s ineptitude in the club. And, almost all of them are from the same family.

Into this world ruled by those with a “hunting mind” enters Shahjahan (Vineet Kumar), who wants to shed his romantic image and make a film that involves shooting and hunting – because it’s set in the early 1990s – later. The release of deer Dragging him to the club is not just the audience, but the superstar’s close duo, who rub Dayanand (Anurag Kashyap), a much-feared Mangalorean arms dealer, the wrong way.

Most of the rest of the action takes place at the Rifle Club, nestled deep in the Western Ghats, and it’s easy to guess how it’s unfolding from the starting point. The makers also seem aware of this fact, preferring to rely on riveting action choreography, well-timed adrenaline pumps and exchanges between a wide array of characters to carry the film.

Some of the action set-pieces work really well, especially the sharpshooter on a motorcycle roaring down the corridors of the bungalow, or the whole family watching unblinkingly as the fearsome Bheera (Hanumanjati) and his gang bring the place down. Then of course there is a smart shift to the VHS wedding video of club secretary Avran (Dilesh Pothen) and Sisili (Unnimaya Prasad). Aashiq Abu, who has also handled the cinematography, brings some rich frames to the table, which add a lot to the film along with Rex Vijayan’s music.

Looking at the list of screenwriters – Shyam Pushkaran, Dilish Karunakaran and Suhas – one can assume that there is a kind of heft to the film, the kind that props up the film without any further stylisation. But, even for the genre it belongs to and what it’s trying to achieve, the film has a bit of a hollowness at its core that all the style and pacing struggles to cover up. Still, they manage to keep the movie engaging through almost all of it by cleverly switching between parallel scenarios.

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The weakest writing is perhaps in the climactic exchange between the antagonists and the club members, which is preceded by an interesting build-up, with the leaders taking potshots at each other in Malayalam and Hindi. There are mentions of Uzis and Mexican standoffs, but how it turns out in the end is reminiscent of the good old days. wind. It works like it would in a comedy movie, but it doesn’t Rifle ClubWho badly needed that lift to the climax. Few register among the vast array of characters, while at least some of the talented cast seem wasted.

Rifle Club Its style is a treat to look at, but more solid writing could elevate it even further.

Rifle Club is currently playing in theaters