‘The Buckingham Murders’ Review: Kareena Kapoor Shines In A Watchable Thriller

Director: Hansal Mehta

Cast: Kareena Kapoor

Rating: 3/5

Hansal Mehta’s ‘The Buckingham Murders’, which hit screens on Friday (September 13), had the potential to be an emotionally-charged and unnerving thriller with a strong message. It, however, ends up being nothing more than a good one-time watch. ‘’

What’s ‘The Buckingham Murders’ About?

The film centres on Jazz (Kareena Kapoor), a detective, as she takes a new posting following a personal tragedy. However, as fate would have it, she is forced to confront her past when her seniors ask her to take up a case that feels quite personal. After being initially reluctant to take up the matter, she eventually develops an interest in it after realising that things are murkier than they appear.

The basic plot is intriguing and touches upon a few burning issues. It, however, could have made a stronger impact had the screenplay been up to the mark.

The Screenplay Could Have Been Better

Hansal Mehta’s films usually feature an ‘outsider’ as the protagonist. Manoj Bajpayee’s character in ‘Aligarh’, for instance, was a Marathi-speaker based in Aligarh. Similarly, Karishma Tanna was a “woman in a male-dominated field” when she played a crime reporter in the series ‘Scoop’. Hansal continues this trend with ‘The Buckingham Murders’ as Jazz isn’t exactly at home in her new surroundings, a fact that her superiors often remind her of. Despite this, ‘The Buckingham Murders’ does not quite reach the standards set by his other works as it features too many poorly-explored subplots and spreads itself thin.

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The film begins with a shot of a distraught Jazz as she tries to come to terms with her sad reality.The focus then shifts to her attempts at tackling a new case while trying to move on in life. The first half doesn’t feature any memorable scenes, barring the one where Jazz slaps a senior, primarily as the director takes his time to establish the characters and the dynamics between them. As a result, one isn’t quite able to relate to Jazz’s trauma.

‘The Buckingham Murders’ also has some socio-political undertones but they aren’t explored too well. The second half is more gripping that the pre-interval one even though the action still feels a bit too slow. The makers also fail to explore the backstory, which dilutes the film’s impact. There are few twists in the second half that take the viewer by surprise. This is particularly true for the scenes revolving around the killer’s identity. ‘The Buckingham Murders’, as mentioned previously, features several subplots. However, most of them aren’t explored properly. That said, Hansal—to his credit– manages to tie up the loose ends.

Kareena Shines In An Intense Role

Coming to the performances, Kareena ios the heart and soul of The Buckingham Murders. She expresses a lot through her silences. Moreover, ‘Bebo’ alternates between vulnerable and fierce with ease. She is also treat to watch in the interrogation scenes.

Keith Allen, who plays Jazz’s senior Miller, essays his roles with sincerity even though the character feels quite one dimensional. Ranveer Brar springs a surprise as Daljiet and hits the right notes with his intense body language. The supporting cast serves its purpose.

Final Thoughts

Hansal Mehta adopts a realistic approach to storytelling in The Buckingham Murders, leaving limited scope for music and the background score. The cinematography captures the grim nature certain sequences, especially the ones depicting ‘murder’, quite well. The other technical aspects are upto the mark.

To sum up, ‘The Buckingham Murders’ is a passable thriller that merits a watch mainly for Kareena’s measured portrayal of a grieving mother.

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