Race (I) (2008) User Reviews

Remarkably unpredictable

[kat_777 · 8/10 · 22 August 2009]

I wouldn't say that race is a great movie. It is good and different. It is not the usual triangle love story and betrayal and it is unpredictable. The plot should not be known completely before as it has many twists and turns. Knowing the plot reduces the effect of watching like many other thrillers The twists are the main attraction of this film.

Coming to the plot Ranvir(Saif Ali Khan) and Rajiv(Akshay Khanna) are brothers who has so many different likes and dislikes. Ranvir is very mature and serious while Rajiv is semi alcoholic. Both of them share a common interest one is racing and the other is supermodel Sonia (Bipasha Basu). Ranvir's secretary Sophia(Katrina Kaif) has a crush on him. She remembers his birthday and presents him with a birthday greeting card.

Songs composed by Pritam are great. Songs like pehli nazar mein and allah duhai are wonderful to listen.

Acting is good. My opinion about Saif Ali Khan in a serious role has changed after seeing this. Akshay Khanna has done his best performance so far. Bipasha was good in her respective role. Even though Katrina Kaif is not considered a great actress, she was above average in this movie.

It is worth a look if you admire bollywood film. And this film is worth watching if you are a fan of either Saif or Bipasha.

8/10

Revival of Saif

[cybersupam · 8/10 · 19 April 2008]

Firstly take note that - Race is not a movie made for them those who power on the DVD player then insert the disc in it, and watch it till they feel asleep. This is made for them those who want to use their inner intelligence and sharp-brain to understand actually what is going on in between every roles. Don't rate this comment those who don't like Hindi thrillers.

I find it hard to believe even after fourth time watching Race that how Saif performed a deadly serious role as Ranvir Singh. In his first offer with director duo Abbas-Mustan he proved it great. So far his roles were mostly prepared for comedian purposes like in Hum Tum, Dil Chahta Hai or Salaam Namaste, but here he really proved that now he is matured as an actor by performing a serious, no nonsense and one-word guy's role.

Personally I like to watch movies made by Abbas-Mustan for their sense of making thrillers in Bollywood, and I cannot throw away Race apart from my mind. The story has some worth seeing twists which are surprisingly enjoyable. In funny and hilarious sections Akshaya and Anil own their credits. Although this is Akshaya's second negative character under the project of Abbas-Mustan after Humraaz, his role has enough importance in moving forward of the movie. Anil's role as a fruit-eater inspector Robert D' Costa (RD) makes a good sense of humour with his riddling but indicative words. For sometimes it is confusing whether RD is a negative or positive character, but it becomes clear only at the final ending part.

For the three glamor queens Sonia, Sophia and Mini (Bipasha, Katrina and Sameera), they have no much ability to handle the story since it is mainly controlled by the male leads, and focus goes on and on waiting to reveal the hidden truths. Ooops!!! after a long break from director duo, Johny Lever again appears in front of the camera for five minute, but with nothing special. Same is to Dilip Tahil who is the closest rival of Ranvir in horse racing business.

If we judge Race with proper sense there are bound to arise numerous goofs and faults in the whole set of the movie, anyway it's just made for entertainment. One most important goof I noticed is when Ranvir and Sophia goes to Capetown for some official purposes, but Rajiv also moves there and secretly attends an appointment in the marriage bureau along with Sophia (Katrina). But question is - does not Sonia (Bipasha) notice when Rajiv is not around her?

For Akshaya and Katrina's fans Race might be flop, while for Saif and Bipasha's fans it might be a super-hit. This is generally how a movie is rated by audiences. They don't like their favourite actors/actresses to get defeated in the climax, but if it happens so they will consider it worthless or super-flop. In truth a movie is considered successful mostly through the process of business profit --> large audiences = large earning. If you check weekly in the websites on the movie which is doing good businesses, it will be finally declared as hit, sometimes super-hit (or blockbuster) if the businesses run better than expected.

Finally, I like the movie only just due to Saif's new revival role of serious Ranvir Singh, and Akshaya Khanna's negative but interesting role as step brother Rajiv Singh.

The Best Action-Thriller of 2008 For Bollywood

[axxo-4 · 8/10 · 26 December 2008]

My rating 8 out of 10...

Right from the start, this movie will hold you down. Frankly speaking, this movie's story is not that great, and you might have seen it earlier, with two brother fighting over money. But what is different is the way and manner of presentation. We have so many love stories, but every time it's the manner of presentation that makes movies great! Same is true for Race. Arguably the best movie of 2008. So many twists and turns, this makes for the best popcorn flick of 2008! I suggest you to watch it before the end of the year and make is count in the top movies! Katrina Kaif's acting skills have definitely improved, Bipasha is fine, Akshay Khanna is good but Saif's acting is the top notch point of this movie. He should go for more action movies...

A Must Watch! Go for it!

Its a deadly race to get ahead.

[prashant_borkar · 7/10 · 22 March 2008]

Yet another action thriller by Abbas Mustan.

The basic theme goes like this: Two brothers (Saif and Akshaye) own a stud-farm. Racing is their passion, though Akshaye is more interested in money and alcohol and all the good life. Saif loves his younger brother more than anything else and thats why sacrifices his love Bipasha for him hoping Akshaye will improve and let go off his drinking habit after he marries and settles down. But things go horribly wrong when one of them is murdered and the whole movie takes a turn. Anil (a connoisseur for fruits) is the investigating officer and only makes an entry after the interval. And its up to him to solve the mystery of the death only to reveal that nothing is what it seemed.

Nice performances by most of the actors.

The movie is stylishly shot which adds to its character. Though, the action is a little over-the-top is handled well and did not seem ultra ridiculous.

Worth a watch! (Literally. The characters sport a nice collections of watches throughout the movie. :)

'Race' Is Just Another Disgrace

[Chrysanthepop · 5 September 2008]

'Race' belongs to the list of crappiest films of 2008. I've been told to avoid it for a long time and I really would have but I did not have much of a choice. With all those ridiculous stunts (some shown in pathetic slow motion), MTV music video style Hinglish song sequences, actors wearing little clothes, 'surprising' twists that make no sense etc, 'Race' tries to be cool but it has NO substance whatsoever. Abbas-Mustan can add this hack to their heap of trashy films. 'Race' also does a very miserable job of ripping off Roland Joffé's 'Goodbye Lover' (which already was a silly film). However, any 'new' input the director duo put in their version only make 'Race' more stupid. Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna are at their worst. While Khan hardly does anything other than wear a forced expression of looking serious, Khanna overacts. Bipasha Basu continues to prove that directors need to really really work hard (in this case they didn't) to make her act while Katrina Kaif is a lost case. I never understood the hype surrounding Kaif (though she does touch herself in 'Race'). For me her acting talents are non-existent and her looks are too plain. Sameera Reddy's bimbo act falls flat (but this may mostly be due to the poor dialogue she's given) and Anil Kapoor should have retired ages ago. There is no chemistry between any of the actors. They obviously did it just for the money. The songs contribute to the list of abysmal soundtracks of 2008. 'Race' is just another disgrace to Indian cinema.

Race-Racy Ambitious Complicated Entertainer

[jawahar4 · 6/10 · 23 March 2008]

Racy Ambitious Complicated Entertainer

RACE is Abbas Mustan's attempt to find the golden touch that they had displayed with Baazigar, Khiladi and Ajnabee. 'Naqab' failed because it was too complicated and this is the same with RACE too. In a bit to give a super hit, AM duo put in too much- the result , a slick but complicated thriller in which everyone double crosses the other.

A story of absolute mistrust between two loving brothers Saif and Akshay Khanna, the thriller starts off with the usual élan of a Abbas Mustan movie and keeps the pace going for the first half an hour. The story builds up with Akshay falling in love with Saif's girlfriend Bipasha. Saif sacrifices his love thinking that his alcoholic brother would quit drinking. Akshay and Bips marry each other as a scheme to usurp the 100 million insurance that they would get if Saif is killed in an accident. Everything goes as per plan but after Saif's death, Katrina playing Saif's secretary , claims that Saif had married her before dying hence the money is hers. What follows thereafter is too complicated with each one backstabbing the other. We will leave the cinema hall absolutely not trusting the director duo for the state of affairs after building up the tempo for a fantastic thriller.

Nevertheless, the touch of the duo is evident in the twists and turns, the business strategies and the backroom operations. Saif has come of age and has started playing different shades and experimenting with films like Omkara, Dil Chahta Hai and this. He adequately plays his role of the elder brother who plays to win. Akshay as the younger brother who seeks revenge against his brother is good at times . Bipasha as the sexy siren, fits the role and has shades of grey. She is glamorous as the model, seductive as the lover and plays her role to her limited best. Katrina looks beautiful and has not much to do except looking good.

Anil Kapoor enters the fray as the fruit loving inspector along with his stupid secretary Sameera Reddy a la Karamchand and kitty. He lends comic credence to the second half with his double entendres and corrupt methods. Anil Kapoor has these days made a mark for himself in these side but important roles.

The locales and cinematography of South Africa and Dubai are breathtaking. The action scenes are also well picturised. Music by Pritam is inspired and is one of the high points of the film. The background music by Salim-Sulaiman is also thrilling and adds to the effect.

All in all , Race seems to be another misled but good attempt by Abbas Mustan. They should concentrate more on simple thrillers like Baazigar and Ajnabee instead of complicating things too much like Naqab and Race. They are still the masters of the game and have the energy and verve to direct thrilling moments like no one else in the industry.

Entertaining

[madcatz · 9/10 · 21 March 2008]

This movie was entertaining and all the twists were good however i must ask why a director must spoil a perfectly good thriller/action film with MINDLESS STUPID AND UNREALISTIC ACTION SCENES! YOU CANNOT DRIVE A CAR ON ITS SIDE, YOU CANNOT JUMP BUILDINGS THE WAY THEY DID AND YOU CANNOT WALK OUT OF A HORRIFIC CAR CRASH WITHOUT A SINGLE BROKEN BONE!

Indian movies were doing so good and then some guy decides to put in stupid scenes in a good movie to leave a bad taste

But still, good film to watch, just ignore the unrealistic scenes. Acting was good all around except for Katerina..she was terrible. Also, them trying to make her look sexy to compete with Bipasha just failed miserably. One song was good, the rest were not something I listen to. Overall, 9 out 10 for story

Race Just isn,t fast enough!

[rohonnag · 6/10 · 21 March 2008]

After catching the first day first show, this film just isn't worth racing after! (okie sorry for the speed related puns) anyways, the story is full of twists and turns and twists and u-turns... without giving much away lets just say this is the kind of film which desires to be Wild Things... but just somehow can't reach that level...

Overall though the effect isn't bad and won't disappoint completely...

Few things to note though...

1. the first half just meanders all over the place not sure of which direction it needs to go..

2. the action choreography is ATROCIOUS! alan amin... please quit...

other than this, the heroines are HOT, the twists are fast and furious! & the anil kapoor detective is a loony guy...

one time see, other than that.. what can I say, the story has more drifts than Tokyo drift! lol... seriously.. enough of racing jokes..

Twists Twists Twists.............but finally brilliant ending

[harry_roger14 · 10/10 · 26 March 2008]

this film is good for entertainment.......twists are overloaded but it gains up in the climax...........starting is a mix up of '36 china town' and 'humraaz' (what i felt) but is acceptable. You'll see many stunts and direction is done pretty well .......however the story is full of suspense (thats what abbas mustan is known for).........the dialogs are little bit like one liners and most of them are not much impressive..........there are some confusing and forceful twists too ................ The film has good songs which wont let you get bored .........here saif ali khan and bipasha basu played an important role .....i tell you the ending is very good and i appreciate them (if not copied from Hollywood film)..........overall, its a must watch film .........u cant complain in the end.

my comment

[nitinjain_nitin · 7/10 · 24 March 2008]

A nice movie by the promising duo. Another thriller that binds you till the end and where you don't know what is going to happen next. Acting performances of Anil Kapoor, Saif and Akshaye are all good, especially Anil Kapoor. He comes up with another good comic type role after Welcome. To see Johny Lever after such a long time was heartening. His 2 minute performance reminded of vintage Johny. And this film had something in it for the female leads as well. But I think that what the Indian directors need to learn is that the films can work even if you don't put songs in them. See Sarkar and Black. Alright this movie was not as intense as those two, but putting three songs while an investigation is going on in a thriller is a waste. That is why I rated this movie as 7 instead of 8. Overall a nice time pass movie which could be watched once.

What was everyone thinking?

[TheGautamMathur · 5/10 · 2 April 2008]

I have been watching Abbas-Mustan movies ever since their first, Khiladi. While I have never claimed to be a fan of their work, During that period of Indian films, they were probably the only people who made their movies 'different' to what else was being made on that budget and scale, so I watched and got entertained to a certain degree.

The brothers follow a tried and tested plan - 1) Take a Hollywood mystery/thriller, preferably B-Grade Hollywood, movies that have not got theatrical releases in India.

2) Add 6-7 foot-tapping songs, inserted at regular intervals.

3) Give the main lead (who is always a character with 'shades of grey') a strong motive for doing the dastardly deeds that he does.

4) Follow up with a fantastic climax.

So that was what I was expecting when I went to see 'RACE' in the cinema, and I couldn't help but leave the cinema thinking - "Well, that was money ill-spent." Race starts with a car-stunt and a voice-over delivered by Anil Kapoor, that is meant to be an introduction to our four main lead characters (Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Katrina Kaif and Bipasha Basu), but land up as being nothing more than an advertisement to the viewing public for how good designers can make our film stars look. And even though the picture tries to take a path down the 'Clever Thriller' mode, all it displays is 'Clever Dress Design'.

Granted, the story had the potential to be interesting, It was just presented in a really jaded, 90's kind of way where there are songs that interrupt the flow of the story regular as clockwork.

I mean - of course I like nothing more than Bipasha or Katrina Dancing the night away in skimpy outfits, but in a story like this, they achieve nothing but hamper the narrative. In fact so much so, that by the time the climax came around, the whole cinema was itching for it to get over! That can never be a good sign. So, a movie, that could have been a taut thriller becomes nothing but a parody of what its trying to achieve, and a too long one at that.

In short, its a picture too long by about an hour. With a little bit of editing, and not as many songs, It could have been a good thriller.

Of the performances, it doesn't even need to be said, that Anil Kapoor has found a way of breathing life into the most mundane movies, just by being in them, and even here, he gives a masterclass on how to carry off an over-the-top performance without coming across as a ham actor. Sameera Reddy, as Anil Kapoor's thick-headed secretary is also fun to watch, not to mention, hot in her own, dusky, South-Indian way. Akshaye Khanna is always good to watch, clearly more than competent to carry of the role he's given, He is absolutely devious. Saif Ali Khan is going through the motions here, all he needs to do in the movie is look good, ride lots of horses and look good... Katrina Kaif and Bipasha Basu, besides being the prettiest and fittest women respectively in the Indian Film Industry today (IMO) are clearly capable of what's required of them, and they do it well.

After an interesting first 45 minutes, the film gets too slow and boring to enjoy, and towards the last half hour, there is one scene of special mention, that brings some sort of fun back into it, and that is Johnny Lever's solitary scene. He's done an intelligently funny scene after a LONG time and special mention goes out to him.

All in all, I gave it 5 points out of 10, simply because Johnny Lever's single appearance is worth 2 points, the other three are for the attempt.

This movie has twists that may/may not surprise you

[yoh-shamanking · 9/10 · 27 March 2009]

This movie has twists that may/may not surprise you. But it is an Excellent Movie. It's got Excellent Production Value. Overall, a must see Bollywood flick. Won't reveal the story but it's worth watching at least once!!!

What works for Race is that you can never predict exactly whats gonna happen next. Just when you think, this could be the last twist in the tale, it surprises you with another twist. There is almost a twist in every reel!

Directors Abbas – Mastan deserve credit for their execution, they succeed in holding your attention throughout the movie. The direction is complimented by the screenplay although the impact would have been much better had the story been more convincing. With so many twists and turns, the viewer after a certain point could get confused as to whose with who. Also it gets a little tedious to sit through.

As far as the editing is concerned two songs can be easily chopped off for better impact. The music is brilliant, Pehli Nazar Mein stands out. Dialogues are superb. Cinematography brilliant!

A Race to the finish time of the movie....

[Electric_Sheep · 6/10 · 21 March 2008]

Saif, Akshaye (Khanna) and Anil Kapoor - has to be a slick thriller and in many ways it is - by Bollywood standards.

The movie is based on two step brothers in a seemingly cordial relationship running a multi-million dollar business in SAfrica. It eventually emerges that the business isn't so well after all. This sets the movie up for the ultimate gain - huge life insurance money on the death of either of the siblings.

This eventually means setups and twists involving the two brothers and their lady friends Bipasha and Katrina . By interval the movie is poised (in theory) at an exciting edge to the finale.

Midway through however, the plot keeps twisting out of control and the audience really doesn't know what the heck is really happening. At this point reviewers might be split -

• The agonizing insertion of songs as fillers inevitably denying a quicker, to-the-point conclusion of the movie. - The character of Sameera Reddy as the obligatory "sidekick bimbo"

If you can get past these 2 factors, this should be a great movie for you.

Summary - The story is great until midway through (at least for me) when it reaches the realms of Ekta Kapoor. - The cinematography is spectacular with the settings of Cape Town nice to the eyes. Good action sequences. - The songs are so-so and unnecessarily inserted throughout the movie. - The humour and wit is subjective at times, funny to some, not to funny to others. - The lead actors play their roles well with Akshaye a bit out of role for this though. Bipasha (especially) and Katrina do a bit more than just being pretty faces. Sameera R needed to be replaced by Rajpal Yadhav!

This isn't a boring movie nor is it a classic. Worth watching on DVD than cinema.

Too twisty and tries to pack it all! Saif has done a great job though!

[ssvikas · 4/10 · 24 March 2008]

When you’re talking of an Abbas-Mastan movie, you know what to expect. Big money, big game, plots, deceits, back-stabs twists and turns. It’s just that, this time, it gets so much more complicated and twisty that the duo’s previous hits like Baazigar, Khiladi will seem like a kid game. The saving grace however is Saif who has lately come of age after delivering great performances in Parineeta, Omkara, Hum Tum, etc.

Ranvir (Saif Ali Khan) and Rajiv Singh (Akshaye Khanna) are step brothers owning a lavish stud farm ‘Stallions’ local biggies at the turf club in Durban. The older Ranvir loves horses more than anything else while younger Rajiv is a drunk who is least bothered about the family business which is now totally under mortgage. Racing, money, fending off enemies and partying are a way of life for both, till an accident triggers change.

The older brother sacrifices his love (Bipasha) when the Rajiv one promises that he would give up drinking addiction if he married Sonia. But, Rajiv doesn’t change after marriage and things end up getting steamy between Sonia and Ranvir. While things look nice between brothers, one of them is busy plotting for the other’s death to pack off 100 million bucks from his insurance. Then, there is a murder and things get murky.

The rest of the movie merely survives on the director duo’s ability to set up things in one direction, then, twist it at the very next moment. Till the last few minutes, one is not too sure as to who the conspirator was and which actress is whose love interest. Adding to the mêlée is a fruit munching cop RD (Anil Kapoor) and his inept assistant (Sameera Reddy), both competing with each other in being as silly as things ever can be.

Of the performances, Saif is awesome and Akshay Khanna has done a neat job too. All three glamor dolls had no more to do in the movie except to look good. Another funny thing was that every other character there was mostly an Indian, the doctor, the registrar, the cops, their assistants, Saif’s competitor, whew; I never knew Indians were so omnipresent! The music is decent and Atif Aslam’s song is already a hit.

Race has many points when twists get too much, and you would it end soon and when things start seeming comical. But, nevertheless to their credit, the directors have delivered a stylish flick set in South Africa and Dubai with some good stunts. Alas, they don’t do much to save the movie. Still, if you are one of those who like movies sans logic and merely sit through and pass time, Race is not a bad idea if you get tickets cheap.

alright..

[chirag_shah775 · 6/10 · 23 March 2008]

This movie had good songs, nice camera work, and some cool steps....The suspense was cool, yet too many twists kinda ruined the show. Yes, it is an entertaining film, but some of the twists towards the end of the film seemed a bit strange and unrealistic. Also, the acting of everyone, besides Saif Ali khan, seemed mediocre. I have seen better Abbas-Mustan films...Baazigar (1992), Aitraaz, Ajnabee and Humraaz were definitely better. The action was also a bit unrealistic and not of international standards. The ending of this film, however, was quite interesting...Overall watch this film for some fun and a few thrills...Other then that nothing really to look forward too...

Cut Out The Songs, and You'll Have a Remake Better Than its Original !

[elshikh4 · 10 August 2009]

Yes, the Indian cinema is in a silly stalemate, whereas they produce now 1000 movies per year (try to believe it!). And, overall, they're commercial, largely plagiarist, fares where you'll find - at best - hot colors, good action, rampant dances, slice of sexuality and fast songs (mostly copied too!). But this time, there was something different.

Seriously I'm amazed, because it's rare time, let's be honest; it's the *only* time yet which I found an Indian remake that surpassed its original. (Race), if only you disentangled it from its unnecessary 123 songs and numbers, you'd have a better movie than the American source (Goodbye Lover) produced 10 years earlier, which was a fine movie, but not that fine to tell you the truth, in particular when you watch the remake first.

(Race) was super hit in the box office. However, the truly wicked directing wasn't enough to make this movie what it is. Because the main power is in the script which proved itself thoroughly to a dazzling extent. It was too creative while dealing with the material of (Goodbye Lover); doing - in noticeable talent - nothing that any easy lazy remake would do, remaking its original in more original way!

Starting with the title: (Race) isn't absolutely for granted. It's a complete race over money, sex, and your attention so your amusement as well. Moreover, the job of the 2 brothers in the first movie was at the field of propaganda and burnishing the public figures; namely the art of burying the truths as that movie's winners themselves would do lastly. But here they simply own a stud farm, where they're training and showing winning race horses; which materialized cleverly the meaning of racing dramatically before visually.

It's clear that the 2000s is the golden age of the script's "twists" on the screen, big or small. Watch a movie like (Basic - 2003), or a TV show like (Alias - 2001:2006), to catch on that plainly. Now this Indian movie understood that uniquely; taking the twists to the next level, making it from a Noir, cornering avidity and the death of love in the world of today, to a colorful comedy - not even that black by the way - about money as the only ruler and the master target, striking so smartly the right note of living mistrust as the ultimate fate.

Regard also the coup de maitre of transforming the character of the melancholically cynical, and deeply materialistic, investigator; my personal worst liked (Ellen DeGeneres) from the American movie, into more liberal, indifferent and appealing (Anil Kapoor), remaking him as vicious (Magnum P.I.). Not to mention the changing of the idiot partner / policeman from the original into a young girl; to be both kind of dirty version of (The Big Easy - 1986) couple!

Actually, that harmonized with the fact of the whole thing as an exposed varicolored show to ridicule and entertain, with all mean, vile and excellently swindler characters, using obvious jesting with the non-stop twists and the lovely musical finale which was close to a theatrical end to somehow break the fourth wall, delivering eventually pure entertainment with never passing satire about the modern-day human and their endless crazy greed.

The Alas goes to: The Indians don't give the original makers, of movies and songs which they remake, any due credits. The many many strangely put songs, the hyped dances, and seeing the male leads suddenly shirtless in explicit MTV video clips. The slice of sexuality factor, which seems hatefully imported, putting in mind the Indian society general decency, and its long-time chaste cinema. Although (Saif Ali Khan) and (Akshaye Khanna) are supposedly the leads, but they both looked clueless, stray, and didn't stand comparison with (Anil Kapoor) and the great job he did.

Despite its downsides, it's very good. Look how its Indian makers save the best for the last, and finish it with a car chase, memorably brilliant one to say the least. It's a lesson that was learned by Hollywood; however Bollywood here is relearning its masters.

Race - not that fast but watchable!!

[razman-87 · 7/10 · 20 March 2008]

Just saw the movie 2 hours back....and well i have the feeling this movie is not copied!!(obviously cant say for sure as i am not a film critic ) I say this purely because there are SO many plot twists ..you don't know how to react!! They have simply tried everything possible in the movie!!Some are genuinely good,Others stand out as a sore thumb.... Abbas - Mastan come with up with a much better fare than their previous movie 'Naqaab' which was absolutely awful...but doesn't fall in the same league as 'Baazigar' or even 'Hamraaz'....acting-wise all do a decent job....Saif Ali khan and Akshaye Khanna stand out....rest of the cast is o.k the heroines look great.....At best a one time watch!! Definitely WATCHABLE...

Good fun

[saba2115 · 8/10 · 30 March 2008]

I am going to start by saying that a movie should be judged on a) its own merits and b) on the genre to which it belongs. To be overly cynical and to trash a movie by comparing it with some unrealistic ideal is silly because there is nothing like a perfect movie, least of all in Bollywood.

I give the movie a high five because of the elan with which it's done. It's slick, fast paced and uncluttered. If it uses "hot babes" and fast cars it is only to further the story. The movie is about two brothers and their conflict with women being mere pawns in the whole game of lucre and one upmanship.

The actors are comfortable in their roles so hats off to the casting team. Here, I would only question the casting of Katrina Kaif who has been a disappointment in countless films and was eminently unsuitable for the role of the hot, scheming secretary that she portrays. She is nothing but a clothes horse and ruined the "Kiss me Kiss me" number. On the other hand, Bipasha can act, looks great and holds her own.

Saif can give SKR a run for his money any day. His stunning good looks are unsurpassed in Bollywood except perhaps by Hrithik. He has come into his own in the last few years and we see evidence of it in RACE. He is cool and macho but can be tender and caring when needed. Akshaye Khanna is good at the portrayal of the malcontent, the aggrieved younger brother holding cancerous grudges. He does it well without any of the villainous stereotyping that Hindi movies revel in.

Cinematography is fabulous. I loved the locations, the evening scenes that have been shot in that beautiful south African light. The farms scenes are idyllic in sharp deliberate contrast to the fast paced suspense and action of the movie.

The music is great too. Upbeat, fast paced to match the mood of the film and full of gorgeous colour and pageant that typify Hindi movies.

I say, watch the movie! It is good fun and doesn't pretend to be anything else.

Racy....!!

[abhi862000 · 7/10 · 25 March 2008]

Finally, a good thriller from Abbas-Mastan, director duo after a long streak of failures like "Tarzan", "36 China Town", "Naqaab"...They pull out a cracker with style...A well executed movie containing all essential ingredients for a commercial Indian potboiler..deadly men, hot women,nice rich backdrop of racing horses and of course crime and money!!! Race is a story about two brothers Ranveer (Saif) and Rajeev (Akshaye),One for the likes of living it on the edge and the latter happy-go-lucky or rather how it looks to be...Then there is Sonia (Bipasha) who is a model who is sorta common love interest and Sofia (Katrina) who likes Ranveer but is nothing more than an assistant to him. There is betrayal for love and money and every character has its shades of Grey. Loosely Based on James Cain's novel "Double Indemnity" full of Plots and Subplots enough to get u confused or surprised on your perception.Then there is also Anil Kapoor (Officer R.D) and his bimbette assistant Sameera Reddy (Minnie) who add fuel to the movie and burn it more brighter.

Performances by all three male leads Anil, Saif and Akshaye do justice to their respective characters. Bipasha plays her role well too.Katrina Kaif is really pretty but shes gotta do better than this....Sameera can be ignored but then her character is shaped as per this.. Cinematography, Screenplay, Dialogues, Background score all stand up to the movie's title (Racy!! i meant...)....All in all a good movie for a weekend...Go ahead watch it!!

A lot of unexpected twists

[Nebzyl · 9/10 · 13 November 2013]

By the title, I expected the movie to be some racing movie type having fast cars or the plot related to the horse racing but it's different. It's about the life Race. You never know what just happened and what's coming. It would seem too foolish if one started predicting the end. It's too exciting. I never thought this movie would have so much twists and turns.

The direction is just fine, not perfect but the plot is brilliant. Katrina and Bipasha acted well while Saif Ali Khan, Akshaya Khanna and Anil Kapoor make the movie fantastic. Several flaws can be easily detected but still, the movie runs too good that those flaws would be negligible. Background music and the songs are okay.

One need not use his head much because everything has been explained. The movie is much for watch and enjoy. It's a full entertainment package.

Stylish but overtwisted

[silvan-desouza · 6/10 · 14 November 2013]

Abbas Mustan after spate of bad films like 36 China Town and Naqaab came with another suspense thriller, this isn't as bad but here they try hard to get any twist possible in the film, not caring whether it makes sense or not. A remake of GOODBYE LOVER The film starts off with a boring voicover by Anil Kapoor explaining all characters, All looking straight out of a fashion ramp show, The comic scenes are too silly and corny but the twist does come well, The turn of events are well handled, till interval though it can be easily predicted Anil's entry is good but his character is too stupid. Its like a take off on Karamchand but too cheesy. The twists are too many and try too hard to be smart but end up confusing things.Saif's re-entry is done with pathetic SFX, even the car chase in the end seems digitally enhanced and tries too hard

Direction by AM is good but overtwisting things do harm Music by Pritam is good, Pehli Nazar is superb, Allah Duhai is good but seems added at the wrong time

Saif Ali Khan looks stylish and lends his role great maturity Akshaye Khanna hams it up initially but does a superb villain role yet again after Humraaz Bipasha Basu is good, Katrina Kaif annoys thanks to her plastic expressions and her hideous dubbing by someone else Anil Kapoor is funny in his stupid role, Sameera Reddy irritates Johny Lever has one scene and hardly evokes laughter, Dalip Tahil has a small role and is okay rest are okay

It's wannabe but it's fun if you accept its lack of substance

[Peter_Young · 5/10 · 7 August 2010]

Okay then, yes, Race is another unoriginal work of fiction by the director duo Abbas Mastan. Watching Race, you can't figure who's who, who's supposed to be good, who's supposed to be bad. The plot is incredibly twisted, and it's so unpredictable that you start predicting another twist coming. The movie tries to be very cool with its technical advances, noisy westernised songs and overly glossy costumes, and everyone is made to look overtly sophisticated, able to plan the most complicated of conspiracies. It, however, greatly lacks in substance, and the many twists unfolded throughout the movie become at some point really senseless. But Race is entertaining to an extent, and it can definitely be watched with family and friends. It has comedy and suspense, and it has its share of enjoyable moments. The action is very good, the locations are nice, the girls are hot, the editing is quite slick, and the movie is extremely fast paced. Some of the songs are very good, like "Pehli Nazar Mein Kaisa Jadoo", but most of them sound repetitive and annoying. Saif Ali Khan plays the leading role, and he is required to keep a serious restrained expression throughout the movie, though still he is pretty good. Akshaye Khanna is well miscast. Katrina is just there, and Bipasha has nothing good to do but she looks a million bucks. Anil Kapoor is quite funny in his role. Race is another masala flick. It's pretentious, but as a one-time watch, it's quite okay, particularly if you don't look for logic behind its story.

must watch movie

[talhawahab · 10/10 · 23 March 2008]

The latest thriller made by Bollywood thriller masters Abbas-Mustan's is an A-class entertainer and a must watch movie. Sexy women in short clothes, handsome hunks, beautiful locations, good stunts, lots of songs with catchy rhythm and loud music is a good definition of a masala flick.

Excellent movie with so much twists. It will keep u guessing and u will be shocked to see how many twist in a movie. It will keep u on edge till the end. I recommend this movie for thrill lovers. I personally enjoyed this movie. Great acting by all, i personally liked Akshay Khanna's acting and style of Saif and Comedy of Johnny Lever who was a Special Appearance in a movie. It has comedy,fun,thrill,action. This movie has good songs as well and one of Atif Aslam.

Race is a good thriller

[sumanbarthakursmailbox · 6/10 · 19 December 2009]

I don't know about you but it's been weeks since I last saw a good commercial Hindi movie — the kind that requires you to suspend your disbelief and go along for the ride. Thankfully, Abbas-Mastan's Race is exactly that kind of film, it's a pretty far-fetched thriller much in the tradition of their previous hits Khiladi and Baazigar, and yet it's exciting enough for you to stop looking for holes in the plot and to go with the flow instead.Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna play Ranvir and Rajiv Singh, brothers who've inherited a stud farm in Durban. While the older one Ranvir is focused on saving the business from bankruptcy and an avid derby enthusiast, Rajiv is the aimless, alcoholic spoilt-little-rich-kid. What both men have in common, however is an evil streak which becomes more than apparent as the reels unspool.Sacrificing his love, Ranvir hooks up his younger brother with his sweetheart Sonia (played by Bipasha Basu), hoping marriage will cure his chhota bhai of his drinking habit. Sadly, that never happens. In a moment of weakness, Ranvir and Sonia slip between the sheets, and that incident sets off a series of betrayals, double-crosses and murders.Add to this mayhem, Ranvir's doting secretary Sophia (played by Katrina Kaif) who's nursing a secret crush on her boss, who in turn mistakes her affection for job efficiency. Then there's the fruit-chomping detective RD (Anil Kapoor), and his dim-witted assistant Mini (Sameera Reddy) who jump into the scene to investigate a mysterious death. You learn soon enough, that nothing is what it seems, and nobody can be trusted. With enough plot twists to confuse a GPS navigation system, Race keeps you on the edge of your seat for the most part.Like any good thriller film, Race never reveals all its cards at once. The layers come off one by one, and each time you think you've got it all figured out, another shocker hits you out of the blue. That's not to say you haven't guessed some of the surprises in advance. If you've watched enough Bollywood films — let me rephrase that — if you've watched enough Abbas-Mastan films, then surely you can predict at least a few of the twists yourself. After all, brothers back-stabbing each other and wives double-crossing their husbands are staple ingredients of their every film.Nevertheless Race keeps you engrossed because it's fast-paced and slick, and because it doesn't allow you much time to consider its flaws.The dialogue is clunky and full of labored lines, and instead of the clever one-liners you'd expect in a smart thriller, you get cheesy quips that make you cringe with embarrassment. Yeh toh bahut hansta hai, Akshaye Khanna tells Saif about a rival who's just walked off after rubbing their noses in defeat. You see, Abbas-Mastan aren't famous for their smart lines or their original screenplays, but they're usually at the top of their game when they're dealing with themes that center around sex, lies and murder. And Race is a return to that formula.The perfect antidote for a lazy weekend, Race is not a great film but delivers what it promises to deliver. It's slickly photographed and has some exciting action scenes, but it's got too many unnecessary songs that only add to the film's length.About twenty minutes shorter and you'd probably enjoy it much more, but in its present form it's not such a bad deal. Of the cast, Saif Ali Khan stands out as the chap with the least dialogue but the one who makes the best impression, whereas the usually dependable Akshaye Khanna delivers an amateurish performance by hamming through his scenes. Of the ladies, only Bipasha Basu scores with an understated performance. As for Anil Kapoor, what does one say about a fine actor who's resorted to taking on such tacky roles? Surely you deserve better than those double-meaning dialogues and suggestive scenes!In the end, Race has fast cars and fast babes, and it's better than anything else its directors have made recently. Because there's barely anything else at the movies currently, I'm going to say – go watch it, you won't be disappointed. And don't miss that one scene with Johnny Lever. He's back after so long and he's so good.

Race...to the washroom before you throw up!

[caiged · 2/10 · 9 April 2008]

I won't add a synopsis of the movie as by now it should be obvious from reading the other reviews what this so called movie is all about.

It seems that Abbas-Mustan have still not woken up from the 80s where over the top action sequences and inappropriately placed songs ruled the screen. Fast forward 20 years later and the audience is given the same formula which is glossed up using modern technology.

If the votes went into negative numbers I'd give this a minus 5. As a story it didn't start off too badly and up until the first plot twist it was looking rather nice. But everything fell apart after that and things went downhill with each new plot twist. I didn't know whether to laugh or yell out numerous expletives- the movie was that maddening.

There is only one saving grace of the movie- the humour offered by Anil Kapoor and Johny Lever (which is why I gave this a 2 out of 10). Saif was decent, Akshaye went over the top at times, Bipasha looked intoxicating, Katrina's voice was dubbed as usual so all she provided was eye candy and Sameera's presence was utterly pointless. The action was downright idiotic and no worth watching at all which meant that the movie could shortened by a good 25 mins. The timing of the songs was stupid and at least 2 could have been cut down. The plot twists are so dumb and run like a TV soap opera which means switch off your brains or have a gun ready to shoot yourself once you've figured everything out...All in all a pointless, useless movie.

If anyone goes regularly to India FM to get their reviews please take the review of Race with a HUGE grain of salt. The reviewer (who also reviews all the movies) is the biggest idiot ever who can't tell the difference between his left and right hand. Somehow he manages to provide a gushing review of a movie that must have been different to what the rest of us watched. His reviews are downright biased towards the big so called actors and directors.