Crime Thrillers

‘Powder’ Deserved A Renewed Series

March 6, 2018 Happenings

Netflix is streaming Powder right now, a must-watch cult show, which prompted me to talk about this engrossing series. It was during 2010 that Yash Raj Films — that eponymous name in the world of movie entertainment in India, decided to experiment with producing Hindi television shows with YRF Television and partnered with Sony Entertainment Television. They brought some soaps such as Mahi Way, Seven, Lift Kara De, Rishta.com, to name a few spanning different genres, but personally, none of them appealed to my sensibilities. Though for whatever reason, they should be thanked for making a brilliant TV show during the time, which I believe perhaps to be the best in crime drama in the history of Indian television which is Powder, and so fabulously directed by Atul Sabharwal.

It’s a story exploring the life of an honest officer Usman Ali Malik (played by Manish Chaudhury) heading the Mumbai branch of the Narcotics Control Bureau who is in relentless pursuit of a drug smuggler called Naved Ansari, magnificently portrayed by Pankaj Tripathi and his henchmen. The plot is engaging and original on several fronts; notwithstanding the awesome performances by its supporting cast including Geetika Tyagi, Rahul Bagga, et al, the scrupulous focus on the inner workings of various drug enforcement agencies in India suggests that the crew may have undertaken tremendous research in writing the story, the authentic cinematography, sound, and the action sequences (directed by the veteran action director Sham Kaushal) on the streets of Bombay makes this series deserving of our attention more often than once. No doubt, there was an enormous potential to improve & advance the storyline, which also makes me wonder if an intelligent and truthful narrative such as Powder didn’t deserve a fresh reboot or inspired similar plots on the small screen then what hope do we have for our talented Hindi TV writers?

Mindhunter

Mindhunter Is A Lesson In Criminal Psychology

November 3, 2017 Movies

My obsession for retro is well-known, and it’s a particularly gratifying experience being in North America to observe the nuances of this geography from the 70s in a web TV series. The fashion, the architecture, the make of the classic cars, and the means of communications (obviously no mobile phones in the 70s) is a revelation of sorts & a journey back in time. It was fascinating to watch ‘Halt and Catch Fire’ in the backdrop of the 80s more specifically for its anecdotes related to the pre-PC era. Then again, the CNN series on the 60s, 70s, and the 80s which took me on a nostalgic history of North America. And a couple of days ago I binged watched ‘Mindhunter’ on Netflix, a crime psychological thriller from David Fincher and Charlize Theron.

Set in 1977-79 years the series is based on the book ‘Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit’ by authors John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker following the adventure of FBI agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff), and a seasoned agent named Bill Tench (characterized by Holt McCallany). Ford and Tench are FBI agents from the Behavioral Science Unit interviewing a bunch of serious killers (not “serial” killers) incarcerated for their gruesome crimes in an attempt to understand their attitudes which made them commit those heinous acts! The entire Season 1 was a fun nostalgic ride back into the 70s (I can’t wait for Season 2), it’s unlike any other TV series or movie you may have watched in the detective/murder mystery genres, it’s engrossing, and without question it introduces a new narrative about criminal psychology.

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Suspect Zero (2004)

October 8, 2006 Movies

Crime thrillers are my favorites and it takes little effort in selecting movies which deal in the subject, albeit of course staying away from those gory ones. Benjamin O’Ryan (Ben Kingsley) is gifted with telepathic qualities and is part of a secret government funded program called Project Icarus which looks into exploiting those qualities for military purposes. FBI Agents Thomas Mackelway (Aaron Eckhart) and Agent Fran Kulok (Carrie-Ann Moss) are assigned to look into the spate of murders in the country which O’Ryan is suspected of committing. The victims are all serial killers who are accused of committing various crimes. Mackelway and Kulok must find the real ‘Suspect Zero’ who wanders the country in a heavy truck and kidnaps children to his ranch.

A good plot but somehow, at the very onset of the film, it was difficult to piece together the puzzle and create a picture. Kingsley’s depiction of a man, trying to escape his extraordinary qualities which give him endless nightmares till the very end, is noteworthy. It’s unfortunately something which he was born with but couldn’t ‘shut it off’.

» The Official Movie Website

Carrie-Ann Moss and Aaron Eckhart in a scene from the movie 'Suspect Zero'