Subhashish Sarkar

Michael is like an undercooked pot roast. The ingredients are all there, the aroma of an interesting story, powerful actors, unhurried frames.. But the final product leaves you only with a bad taste and a longing for what could’ve been. Unresolved, too pondering for a thriller and vapid performances from all but the thespian (owing primarily to underwritten characters). It merely serves as a reminder for a few facts - Kolkata was once a red bastion, Kolkata is always mysterious and lively at the same time, Shah is a national treasure and good stories are rare but good handling of a script even more so.

It’s like a bullet that hits water after the first half. After an intense start, steady performances and sustainable tension, the second half just loses steam all of a sudden and resorts to familiar, meandering techniques of inexperienced direction. Needless songs, convoluted plot twists that are difficult to stay up with. And worst - the last 15 mins of recap for the benefit of the completely clueless. Disappointing script yet the performances are as per expectations for the most part. Could have been vastly better.

Clearly, producing films for the OTT platforms instead of the more viable big screens, is detrimental to the quality of produce. This is a pathetic turn by Anurag Basu and his cast in all forms. Too little effort in building characters, performances thin as potato chips and as unsatisfying. Poorly juggled parallel stories and an overall candy floss script. Completely avoidable.

Just an all round bad movie, attempting to ape Tarantino with gratuitous violence and sex that barely serves to cover cringeworthy acting and unbelievable plot. Further description is a waste of words and time.