War 2 Movie Review: Explosive Action & Star Power

The film picks up years after Kabir Dhaliwal (Hrithik Roshan) went rogue, transforming from India’s top spy into its most feared criminal mastermind. He now operates from the shadows, orchestrating chaos across the subcontinent. To neutralize him, the intelligence apparatus deploys Agent Vikram (N.T. Rama Rao Jr.), a Special Units officer described as a “relentless Terminator driven by his own demons.” Vikram isn’t just skilled - he’s a booby-trapped powder keg, haunted by a past linked to Kabir’s reign of terror. The narrative follows Vikram’s obsessive pursuit, a globe-trotting chase that ropes in Kavya Luthra (Kiara Advani), a sharp-witted arms dealer with ambiguous loyalties, and Colonel Sunil Luthra (Ashutosh Rana), her father and a man carrying his own grudge against Kabir. As the layers peel back, the plot reveals a shadowy syndicate led by an unnamed figure (Bobby Deol, largely wasted in a cameo), and a conspiracy that threatens to destabilise the entire nation. The story doesn’t break new ground - it’s a familiar “hero-chases-villain-who-was-once-a-hero” template - but it’s told with enough kinetic urgency to keep you invested through the first two hours.

Mukerji, known for the Brahmāstra trilogy’s ambitious visual language, brings a similar painterly grandeur to War 2. The action sequences are genuinely jaw-dropping. A mid-film chase through the narrow alleys of Old Delhi, shot with fluid long takes and brutal close-quarters combat, ranks among the best Indian action scenes in recent memory. N.T. Rama Rao Jr. is a revelation in the role of Vikram. He brings a coiled, animal intensity that contrasts sharply with Roshan’s sleek, almost balletic menace. Their chemistry - both in confrontation and, surprisingly, in fleeting moments of shared history - elevates the material. Roshan, for his part, leans fully into Kabir’s descent. There’s a coldness in his eyes that was absent in the first film, a calculation that makes him terrifying. Kiara Advani holds her own in a role that could have been a mere damsel-in-distress; her Kavya is resourceful and morally grey, and her action beats are genuinely impressive.

Unfortunately, the script suffers from serious bloat. At 173 minutes, the film has at least three logical endings, and each false climax saps momentum. The middle act is weighed down by an unnecessary flashback to Vikram’s past, which, while well-acted, stalls the chase and reveals plot holes (how did Kabir know so much about Vikram’s childhood?). The supporting cast is criminally underused: Ashutosh Rana gets one intense monologue, then disappears; Anil Kapoor’s Vikrant Kaul, the intelligence chief, is reduced to exposition delivery; and Bobby Deol’s unnamed villain might as well be a cardboard cutout. The music by Pritam is serviceable but lacks the iconic hook of the original “Ghungroo” or “Jai Jai Shivshankar.” The background score, however, is thunderous and effective.

The film’s politics are also a bit uneasy. The narrative frames India’s intelligence apparatus as morally unaccountable, with Vikram operating as judge, jury, and executioner. There’s little critique of that - it’s just presented as cool. For a 2025 action film, it feels slightly regressive, though audiences hungry for nationalist adrenaline may not mind.

Pros

• Electrifying action choreography and cinematography, especially the Old Delhi sequence.
• N.T. Rama Rao Jr. delivers a breakout Hindi cinema performance - ferocious and charismatic.
• Hrithik Roshan’s Kabir is a genuinely compelling, cold-blooded antagonist.
• Kiara Advani’s role is well-written for a female lead in this genre.
• The first half is taut, thrilling, and tightly paced.

Cons

• Severely overlong; the 173-minute runtime tests patience with repetitive climaxes.
• Supporting cast (Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Ashutosh Rana) is wasted.
• Plot holes and contrivances accumulate in the second half.
• The score is loud, but the songs are forgettable.
• The moral ambiguity is never fully explored, leaving a shallow emotional core.

War 2 is a glorious mess - a film that soars when it focuses on its two leading men trading blows and narrow escapes, and crashes when it tries to be a serious espionage thriller. N.T. Rama Rao Jr. and Hrithik Roshan deserve a tighter script and a sharper cut. As it stands, this is a must-watch for action fans who can forgive a bloated runtime, but a frustrating experience for anyone hoping for a sequel that matches its predecessor’s lean, mean energy. Rated 6/10 - worth a bullet, but not a full magazine.