Agent movie review: Akhil Akkineni actioner is hardly entertaining

Mahadev and Dharma have a past connection, as the latter was once his best agent. Dharma worked only for the appreciation of Mahadev and to be accepted by all as the best agent of all time. How did Dharma become the bad guy, why Rikki is being rejected by RAW, and what role he plays in the fight between Mahadev and Dharma forms the rest of the film.

Comparisons with the recent spy film Pathaan are bound to happen. Agent also tries to capture all the elements of an international spy adventure, but flounders in several respects. Director Surender Reddy is known for stylish and emotional action adventures. Here, the emotional connection is absent, and when it shows up, it is too weak and too late. The film, however, goes all guns blazing in the action department, which becomes mind-numbing after a while. Akhil’s natural charm is downplayed here as makers stick to the muscular, goon-bashing template required for an action hero. Even the romance angle gets a short shrift in favour of action. The romantic interest, played by Sakshi Vaidya hardly gets space enough to connect with the audience. The second half, which offers some explanation to the ‘Wild Saala’ identity of the hero, keeps the most necessary pointers till too late.

Akhil worked very hard in this action avatar, and it shows. Mammotty looks the part of RAW chief while Dino does justice to the role of the villain; we would like to see him in more South ffilms. Debutant Sakshi Vaidya has a glam part and little else.

Rasool Ellore’s camera is impressive. HipHop Tamizha’s songs are passable but the background score impresses in parts. Vakkantham Vamshi’s story follows a typical action film pattern and sticks to that. Somewhere between a huge Surender Reddy film and Akhil Akkineni film, Agent falters in truly belonging to either zone and ends up as an average action film.