After helming such hits as A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 (1987), The Mask (1994) and The Scorpion King (2001), Hollywood director Chuck Russell travels further afield for his latest venture, the Indian produced Junglee (2019). While not altogether successful, there are still enough well -choreographed action scenes to keep martial arts fans entertained for a couple of hours.
Vidyut Jammwal stars as Jai Nair, a veterinarian who has returned to his Fathers Elephant sanctuary in order to commemorate the death of his mother. His visit also gives him a chance to build bridges between him and his father, as the two have not seen eye to eye since his Mother’s death.
Just when things begin to get better between them, a gang of violent poachers arrive at the sanctuary, killing a number of elephants and removing their tusks.
It is now up to Jai, old friend Shankara (Pooja Sawant) and reporter Meera (Asha Bhat) to bring the poachers to justice.
To be honest, the addition of a Hollywood director does not significantly add anything to the final production. Russell has always been a dependable director, and does well enough here, but he brings nothing to the table that a local director couldn’t. At least it is an improvement on his previous movie, the disappointing I am Wrath (2017).
Junglee differs from many other Indian movies with the absence of any musical numbers. Other than the one that plays over the closing credits, the closest Junglee comes to musical numbers are a number of musical montages during the first half, but other than being in a different language, are no different from what you may find in a Hollywood production.
One area Junglee doesn't falter in is the visuals. It is beautifully shot, with director of photography Mark Irwin capturing the lush colours of the Indian jungle to full effect. Only some extremely sub-par CGI lets the visuals down, with one particularly cringe-worthy scene being a major standout. You will know the scene as soon as you see it.
Like a lot of Indian movies, Junglee borrows story elements from other better known films. It is highly reminiscent of the Tony Jaa vehicle Tom Yum Goong (2005), with our hero taking on all comers in the aid of his elephant.
Four people worked on the story for Junglee, with another two writers working on the script. Considering this, it is a pretty straight forward and simple story. The Screenwriters manage to add enough variations to the script so that Junglee doesn't feel like a complete carbon copy of similar action movies. It also has some important points to make about animal cruelty, even if these are mostly simplified to fit into an action movie.
Unlike the afore mentioned Tom Yum Goong, which rushed straight into its action scenes, Junglee takes its time to introduce us to the main characters. Other than a brief fight scene during the opening, it is almost at the hour mark before we are gifted with more action.
When the action does come, leading man Vidyut Jammwal rises to the occasion. Handsome, charismatic with bona fide martial arts skills, it is a wonder how he hasn't become a bigger star. Jammwal, a proponent of the martial art Kalaripayattu has shown his skills previously in the likes of Force (2011), Commando (2013 ) and Bullet Raja (2013).
Junglee is another good showcase for the actor’s martial arts skills, although the fight scenes can be overly edited which sometimes restrict the viewer from seeing Jammwal's talents at their fullest.
The most memorable fight scenes are his one on one fight with Akshay Oberoi, even if it is cut short. A fun fight between Jammwal and a group of corrupt policeman is also a standout, with him being handcuffed to a table through the whole fight. It reminded me of the works of Jackie Chan, with Jammwal using anything at his disposal as a weapon.
Also reminiscent of the works of Jackie Chan and Hong Kong cinema in general is the warehouse set finale. Many a Hong Kong movie of the 80's and 90's took place in warehouses, and even if Junglee doesn't live up to some of those classics, it still makes for an exciting action set piece.
A number of people worked on the action choreography. Nicky Li Chung-Chi, Parvez Shaikh, Oh-Sea Young as well as leading man Vidyut Jammwal all contributed towards the fight scenes. As mentioned before, the quality of the action and its choreography is restricted by some poor editing choices.
It isn’t surprising that the filmmakers decided to bring in a Hong Kong action choreographer. Nicky Li Chung-Chi is one of the best action directors currently working in Chinese cinema, it is just as shame that his action has been chopped up the way it has. However the overall quality of his and his colleagues work manages to shine through, with the action being suitably exciting.
His fellow action choreographer, Parvez Shaikh, has worked behind the scenes on many Indian blockbusters, such as Ek Tha Tiger (2012), Bang Bang (2014) and the recent Thugs of Hindostan (2018). Oh-Sea Young is equally as prolific, working on some of the finest action movies coming out of Korea. The likes of The Yellow Sea (2010), War of the Arrows (2011) and The Suspect (2013) are just a few examples of his work. He is also no stranger to Indian cinema, working behind the scenes on Fan (2016) and the upcoming Bharat (2019).
Junglee may not be the best example of Indian cinema, but it is relatively well made, has its heart in the right place and has enough action to at least interest lovers of martial arts cinema. Let's hope that it leads to higher profile work for the talented Vidyut Jammwal.
Rating: 3/5
Comments