New York Movie Review
The year has been virtually empty when it comes to film releases . Those that managed to get released before the strike were all major disappointments and the year has been so far not good . The first half of 2009 has almost got over and now we finally have a film that one can look forward to , New York . The film’s subject matter is known to everyone and this film is not a typical entertainer . When a production house like Yashraj makes a film like this it is bound to get a bit commercialized . What matters though is that does the core subject matter of the film gets lost under the glossy outside .
The answer to that question is no . Kabir Khan is an intelligent film maker and he had proved that in Kabul Express . This time he re-confirms it . He has made sure that the big cast and budget do not affect the film in any way and affect it only in a positive way . The positive that I see is that when big names and big stars get associated with such a subject the message that the story aims to send reaches a far wider audience than what it would have in case of a smaller budget film .
Talking of film , it starts off in a great way and comes straight to the point . There’s no circumlocution and the director makes his point clear right in the beginning that this ain’t no usual masala entertainer . The introduction of characters on screen is one of the most powerful I’ve seen in recent times barring few scenes that were a little similar to some in past. The song “Junoon” has been Brilliantly used for this task and I could have never imagined that it would be used in this way . The small love angle that is there in the film is there just for some roughly 20-25 minutes in the beginning and that too done in a very swift and neat way . Time passes by in the film pretty fast and it takes no time for the director to come right from 1999 to 2008 . The whole introduction part has been done in a very fresh and brilliant way . The friendship of all the three characters has been portrayed in a very subtle manner and it is not in your face . They become friends just like normal people do , presentation might be a bit different and large . The emotional connect with the main characters gets established in this part and I must again say Kabir has done this job fabulously .
Once that connect is established , the film gets right down to business and talks of life after 9/11 for an average Muslim person in America . The film moves about in a very fast and a bit thrilling way . It talks about the inhuman torture that the non-american prisoners have to bear in the prison cells and how it got even brutal after the 9/11 attacks . Kabir and the actors have very well understood and felt the subject and carried it off brilliantly on screen . There is this small character of guy who has been traumatised by the treatment he gets for no fault of his own . He is just brilliant . Though a really small part but when he speaks about what happened with him , it shakes you to the core . The actor has done a top quality job for this small part and he has the strongest part apart from the main cast . This is one character that you would remember for a long time even after the film ends .
I don’t want to give out many details from the story as it is treated in a way that it would be better if you know them as you watch the film . The little bit of suspense that Kabir has kept has been done in a nice way in the film . The film’s story unfolds in a really nice way and it manages to hold attention of the viewer throughout the film . The first half of the film ends strongly and manages to hold the interest of the viewer and keep it alive for the second half .
If majority of the first half is seen through Omar’s (Neil) eyes then second half has Sam’s (John) view of things . The second half starts afresh and the story moves forward from there and doesn’t creep slowly towards the end . The serious tone of the film continues here too and it is this part where the director aims to send out his view on the things and also the message of the film .Though the tone of the film is a bit serious still it makes sure that it also entertains . The way story moves , the end is a bit expected yet the director manages to surprise a bit here too and executes it in an almost perfect manner . The end comes at a proper time and again comes at a swift pace . The film doesn’t have any emotional drama yet the emotional connect with the characters is good . Kabir proves his point that one doesn’t need long emotional dialogues to establish that connect .
The cast of the film is also great and they all look good together . The friendship of the characters has been portrayed in a very fresh and good way . Katrina , John and Neil look great on-screen together and a good friendly love film can be made using this chemistry . But I guess it won’t look as fresh the second time as it did in this one . Too bad that this film has none of that and has only small trailer of what could have been full length Yashraj feature film . The innocence of their friendship and their characters add a lot to the film and make the point of the film even more stronger . The young characters of the film also make sure that the message goes out straight to the young people of our country or as Pepsi calls it , the Youngistaan .
Talking of acting , everybody has done a great job and even Katrina who is accused to be a mere show girl does her part well . John and Neil both have felt the characters in the script and acted out them well . Irfan needs no compliments and he is great as usual . His character is also an important one . The small kid that is there in the film is also great and his really short part is also good .
Music of the film is also good and it has been brilliantly used by Kabir . He has made sure that almost through every song the story keeps moving and the songs don’t hinder the pace of the film . In fact the songs have been used in such a way that they add to the film in so many ways . The background score by Julius Packam is great and only in some parts it could have been a bit different . The cinematography by Aseem Mishra is great and he shows new york in a great way . While watching the film I realised that the trailer of the film had been cut in a really brilliant manner and kudos to Kabeer and his team for that . The editing of the film by Rameshwar Bhagat is also good and film is very brisk in nature and moves about at a constant rate .
In all , its a great film and you need to see it to believe it . The script of the film is great and when script is great things generally tend to fall in place automatically . The director Kabir Khan has done a really good job and he needs to be applauded for making a film on this subject . I don’t like Aditya’s decisions mostly but I respect him for supporting this film and also providing Kabir with a good budget to make it . He should support films like this and look forward and if not many then at least make one such film a year . Kabir is a good film maker and I am now looking forward to his next project , I hope it is also a good one . I would recommend this film to everyone and it is high time that we support good and subject oriented cinema no matter who produces it . If this film works on the box office which I am sure it would then many producers would dare to support such projects and not go for the usual masala entertainers .
Movie Rating : Four out of Five ; A good film made with a good intent .
Tags: Irfan Khan, John Abhram, Kabir Khan, katrina kaif, neil nitin mukesh, new york movie review
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
i would have skipped this movie ,atleast wouldn’t have watched in theater..but after being deprived for any hindi movie for so long ,i was keen to watch any movie even if it is a commerical movie( i try to avoid not-well scripted movies)
so watched this moview and didnt regret for 1 second..it is a well paced, well scripted , OK acting . so in nut shell MUST watch movie.
i am planing to watch 2ndtime, may be not
I have a feeling ..people are going to bash me up 4 this review ..
to be very frank..it was a disappointment from Kabir Khan..I went with real high hope considering its Kabir Khan’s film (loved Kabul express)..i guess the film is good in parts and the second half moves too fast..and breaks the thrill built up in first half..John wasnt too convincing as a victim of baseless detention by FBI..Kat is good as she has acted well and matured.. Neil stands out with his innocent face appeal with the tweaky dark side..which was evident in Jhonny G too. Music was a downturn again and pritam needs to break from his stereotyped tunes…what to watch out for: camera work(aseem mishra), irrfan khan & neil’s interrogation scenes & a few action sequences.. m waiting for Kaminey..to do the wonders..
not at all saurabh..this is a forum to voice ur opinion..so speak out loud..
Are you kidding me! There were some scenes in the movie that were averagely engaging, otherwise this movie is a total time waste, it has nothing to offer except a pseudo premise of using 9/11 from the other side.
The movie is empty!
I have created an ad to promote this movie. I hope YRF employs me for all such future such endeavors.
Scene 1/2(I mean half of the screen):
A thin average height guy with extreme dark cirles around his eyes. Upheaveled hair, wearing pyjammas (you get the picture)
The other half of the screen is still and dark.
The guy: “Mujhe raat ko neend nahi aate thi. Raat bhar ullu ke tarah jagta and Din bhar office mein sota tha. Mere jindagi bekar ho gayi thi. Boss ne mujhe nikalne ke dhamki de thi.”
Cutto:
Scene other 1/2:
Sudden brightness on the other half of the screen.
The same guy dressed in a nice suit, combed hair, looking really smart.
The guy: “Ek din mere ek dost ne mujhe ye nayi movie “New York” ke bare mein bataya. Maine jatse YRF-FLIX.com phone lagaya. Movie order ke. Ab roz raat ko mein sirf 15 min dekta hun aur chain ke neend so jata hun. Ab mein office mein best employee ban gaya hun.
(A 800 number pops up on the screen)
The guy(again): Agar aap bhi insomia se chutkara pana chahte hai to please call kare YRF-FLIX.com aur New York ke dvd order kijeye. Jaldi kijeye pehle 500 callers ko New york ke saath RNBDJ ke dvd, free free. Thank you very much YRF-FLIX.com, isne to mere life bana de.
Scene fades away.
the warning screen.
A very sexy seductive voice.
Please note that more than 15 mins of this movie can have harmful side effects in some case. In other cases of serious allergies to YRF-FLIX.com we have observed brain trauma, cardiac arrest, brain tumer et. al. Please ask your doctor today if “New York” is right for you.
Thank you
Hey Nick lolz! pretty creative
much better than that “Dil Bole Haddipa” trailer 4 sure .. I hope u get da job 
this post reminds me of Taran Adarsh reviews…
New York was a big letdown in point of yrf stable form Kabir Khan, whose Kabul Express was more enjoyable and convicing.The song Junoon was waste of time,John was better in kabul Express.Katrina acted maturely, what do you mean by that?Neil was oky.The saving grace was Irffan, one more thing i missed New York in the movie may be they did not shoot a major portion in new york.Infact i think Delhi -6 had more of New York.the 9/11 incident which is shown T.V.falls flatly on falt.The scene in RDB where Soha learns about Madhavan’s death was much more better.
the songs were okay.The torture scenes were not impactfully that the audeince would empthaise with John’s character.
Saurabh,
You’ve mentioned tht
“The introduction of characters on screen is one of the most powerful I’ve seen in recent times”
Could you plz elaborate on tht…
The New York I saw had the following gimmicky intros to the characters:
Omar (Neil Mukesh): Intorduced in the stupidest possible way squeaking like a mouse when the FBI guys throw torch light on him in a room darker than the one FBI later keeps him in.
Roshan (Irfan Khan): Walks into the room as non-chalantly as possible as though he is out for a stroll in the park.
Maya (Katrina Kaif): Strolled in the park as if she were ummm… strolling in a park. What was powerful about tht?
And finally, Sam (John Abraham): The scene was nice but lifted from the race scene in ‘Chariots of Fire’. so, in case there was any power to tht scene it was borrowed.
I have a whole lot of questions about ur post but even more so about ur comment that you will be bashed abt this post…?? Why..?? Just bcoz this is positive post abt YRF movie…?? or bcoz u know deep in ur heart tht u hve written a crappy review…Just wondering…
Not in the near past did I come across a film’s review that’s so polarised. Half of the junta has given New York a thumbs up while the other half thumbs it down ! Whom to believe hey bhagwaan…
Not in recent times have I come across a movie’s review that’s so polarised! Half of the junta in the country gives New York a thumbs up while the other half thumbs it down! Whom to believe hey bhagwaan…
Nick, that was awesome!!!
New York is a lost chance… concept was good but the final outcome is half baked cake.. Kabir Khan let me down, considering his kabul express was a lovely treat… Had New York been made with more commitment it could have been a piece if art… Performane wise only Irfan Khan (do i need to say..) and that small character who killed police officer because of that incident with Katrina.. were outstanding. Sourabh you are right that his performance goes with u… the scene where Katrina was taking his interview was good enough to tell that he has calibre.. by the way i think he was in Munna Bhai MBBS also where he was shown as pick pocketer on railway station with Sunil Dutt. Katrina was ok in movie and its the first time it seema that she can act.. Over all New york is an ordinary film…
@dazed & confused comm#9 : well you are so right , when i myself read it , it reminded me too of taran adarsh , reviews are supposed to be negative shouldn’t they … Well , when I write, I write what I feel and this is what I feel about the film .. I would appreciate if yashraj and most commercial film makers make such films ..and i would appreciate if more stars like john and katrina opt to do a new york rather than a Dostana … if people are going to de-motivate its obvious why they opt for a typical commercial cinema which at least helps them garner some money … Talkin of Taran Adarsh , he is the most manipulative review writers I’ve ever seen and thats known to everyone… he is a typical media guy – “chadhte suraj ko salaam karne waala” .. what else can I say …
@cinemausher :
Agree with you that 9/11 scene could have been done much better … talkin of the RDB scene , a totally different scenario all together , one of their Friend dies in that one … but still that was a brilliant scene and Soha did a brilliant job …
The RDB scene was a really important scene because that scene had a DIRECT impact on all central characters whereas here there is no such DIRECT impact on them ..its on everybody ..so not as important a scene as RDB one , but still could have been done in a much better way …
I won’t agree that Junoon was a waste of time …
@shahji:
Talking of introduction , I meant the entire sequence right from the beginning till the scene where Katrina confesses her love for John and not individual introductions … I felt the whole sequence has been done so fast and in such a way which I don’t remember last when did I see …
Well regarding my prior comment , I said so because the two other posts that have been published regarding New York were both negative and mine is positive thats why I said so .. and I still stand by what I said … common , when will we start appreciating a good subject . You want them to go back to a “Sinngh is Kinng” or “Welcome” or “Tashan” …
I’ve appreciated the intent with which the film maker made the film and this doesn’t mean that the film is bad , it is a good one 4 me …
@Arun : You are right dude , I’ve know many people who liked the film and also many who didn’t … I liked it and I can’s say about others .. its certainly worth watching ..
@Akash : Ya I also think so he is the same guy , he was younger and musch more skinnier in Munnabhai …but what a performance !! I think Katrina was also not that bad ..
@Saurabh: With regard to comment #15, I’d just say to you this: you are correct in saying that one would want Yash Raj to make a New York rather than a Dostana, and that they should be encouraged in this regard…..
However, here’s my problem: There’s a difference between intent and content. New York has its heart in the right place, but its screenplay, as well as its actors, apart from Irrfan, fail miserably. John’s “transition” from All-American quarterback to cold-blooded terrorist is just not convincing, despite the lurid torture scenes… (although I liked that Kat was reading from Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” under a tree after John was released
)Katrina looks fetching, but then she always does… and that’s about it for her. And Neil has been trusted with a role which is much, much more complex than he can handle at the moment… watch Johnny Depp in Donnie Brasco or Leonardo in The Departed to see the edginess associated with a mole…
And as for the rather lame dialogues about “terrorist ka tag lagaane waali FBI” and the alliterative/quasi-racist “New York ka best brown bread” …. if you want some really relevant and incisive commentary on these topics, watch “Guantanamo By The Bay” an episode of Boston Legal, or “Crash”
I hope I didn’t bore anyone
@Aditya :
Thanx 4 ur comment , n u r right regarding the content but wont you agree that if the movie had more content on the issue it would have turned into a film that might have been brilliant but 4 only a brilliant audience … I think Kabir has put in the right blend of content and entertainment and has made sure that it is watchable for general audience and yet addresses the core issue…this is a very disputable question regarding cinema “Content Vs. Mass Appeal?” and at the end of the day its the director’s call .. I appreciate the fact that with a little less emphasis on content the director has made sure that it has more reach and I think he managed to do that …wht do you say ??
for me the movie was dissapointing…though it has the heart in the right place the execution is pathetic…kabul Express was atleast 3 times a better movie…i.e. if u can quantify them….
i think the film was brilliant in parts..an excellent effort…although not as good as Kabul Express…..
I haven’t seen this one;
but tell me, Saurabh,
are there really lines
-where the cop says something like ‘It is only right that a Muslim should do this’- ‘make ammends’ in a way?
(!! no comments)
and
-True, there Have been some mistakes, but on the whole the US of A is a ‘good’ country etc
(what purpose does this serve? Makes the NRI feel okay about living there? Yashraj films have been known to address the community after all..)
@nadi :
Yep there are lines like these …and maybe these lines are there 4 a diplomatic reason but the film aims at sending this message only at the end “That no country is bad , circumstances are bad n some people make bad decisions in those circumstances” …watch the film and maybe you would realize that those lines are justified to an extent…not completely but certainly to an extent …
I haven’t watched the movie so cannot comment on it.But I am skeptical because of John and Katrina,who not only are horrible actors,but shouldn’t be in films dealing with serious subject..I just watched ‘United 93′ and this film don’t have any stars,it deals with a serious subject in a convincing way,looks so realistic,this is the way serious subjects should be dealt with..
Man, Talkin bt YRF doin diffrnt movies,i guess thy hv b4..CHAK DE INDIA…For me wht screwd it up was the MIx of Kabir khan & YRF…kabul express was kabir’s baby nd YRF jst produced it…but one fine day aditya chopra finds s cript which has gt to do wit WTC & 9/11…so wht does he do…??…YRF defintly wnt to show tht they doin diffrnt movies other than the larger than life RAJ & Rahul movies..so ADITYA thinks which dirctor frm the block fits well…!!..
Kunal kohli…Scrwd up Fanaa-aaaaaaaaaawww…
Siddharth Anand….na…He doesnt wrk witout Saif…nd its too big a topic fr him…
Shimit Amin…Naaa…Jaideep Sahni cn have the last word fr he hs bettr scripts thn this…
hmmm….we hav sum chunari me daag one’s..
So whose left…..KABEEER….ok…he did sumthin on 9/11 b4 …call him, gv him money..get John,Katrina,Neil…put sum love story ..gv sum montage & wide angle New york shots yashraj style nd get to the topic ..make sum NRI’s happy & keep yashraj flag flying in Central London & New york…..finish the moviee..
I have Rab ne bana di jodi – 2 in waitin…
Sorry Kabeer , u had the heart at the right place bt thn …New york was a mess…!!
@ MANGESH- ur absolutely right! too gud dude.
Well Well guyz!
see..New York was not a bad film..but if something made it worst was the musik.
i really did’nt like the background musik.infact..was the background musik exist in d film? uhh..it ws sooo irritating.
did u hear tht song..somthing ..i dun rememba..i actually thoght..i ws watching gangster..same copy?
i mean..ab pritam apna gaan b churaega?
i mean..srry fr d mistake.. vo gaana bhi pritam ka nahi tha yaar..vo bhi chori ka tha.
huh!
i feel shameless..whn ppl listen n sing his songs.
nother point..
the direction was really gud.
i loved the way john ws presented.
well framed. kuch tym pe aisa lagra tha..ki kuch scenes theek nahi lagre the the..as in..they were not well edited.
the film as fr mUSIK..BACGROUND SCORE.
i mean..whn john ws kept in detain..
i felt …it could make ppl cry like hell.
the scenes were great. well picturized.
but..there ws not bud background musik
so..the scenes seemed to be very normal.
john acted really..katrina -thumbs down..didnt like her at all. i mean? cn u believe it? a girl frm another country is the lead actress these days in india just cz of her looks. sorry ..but not happeneing.
i loved wt all ws written in d end.
baaki..the film over all ws not that pleasing.
i managed to go for the movie today and want to tell the whole world how much I loved the movie. The subject is superb as is the photography. Neil nitin mukesh can act salla…
I am sorry but i found that FOB muslim character in who murders a cop COMPELET WRONG AND FOOLSIH MORON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!yes he was tortured in prison BLAH BLAH BLAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!but what gives him RIGHT TO MURDER A COP WHO WAS DOING HIS DUTY .see that’s the problem with movies like NEW YORK it was ONE SIDED(or should i say PRO TERRORISM) I bet somewhere OSAMA BIN LADEN is watching this movie and laghing his arse off. I was THERE IN NEW YORK when 9/11 hapenned and I KNOW THE FEAR AND CHAOS personally and I still have not forgot it. IMO THERE SHOULD BE NO PITY FOR TERRORISM I MEAN NO DARM PITY FOR THEIR ACTIONS. Yes there is GUANTANAMO BAY BUT STILL SHOULD THEY JUST PICK UP WEAPONS AND KILL MORE INNOCENT PEOPLE like john abrham was gonna do in end of movie
SHAME ON U BOLLYWOOD I MEAN SERIOUSLY FARKING SHAME ON U
and SHARATH i agree i rather like to see UNITED 93 again instead of watching this garbage
in united93 they didn’t justify terrorists action but theyr didn’t show them in sterotypical way
and now there was no flag waving american in UNITED 93
and last scene of UNITED93 stills sends down chills