Overall the film will appeal to those who love to see action and want to see John Abraham doing it. And yes, he is even bulkier this time around.

Packed with action shorn of cliched romance and full of breathless chase sequences though the cobbled streets of Budapest in Hungary, “Force 2” could have passed the action film test with flying colours if not for that pesky thing called storyline.

Force 2 is not earth-shatteringly memorable, but it is fun. Abhinay Deo must share a large part of the credit for that with action director Franz Spilhaus, cinematographers Mohana Krishna and Imre Juhasz who make us participants in the proceedings, Amitabh Shukla & Sanjay Sharma’s sharp editing and the doggedness of John Abraham’s bath towel that does not get dislodged from his waist until the very end of an extended, physically challenging fight.

Force 2 has more style and less substance of the convincing type. It will, therefore, not be a force to reckon with at the box-office. Rather, it will entail losses.

Force 2, despite having a familiar story, has its moments. It is laced with twists where one least expects. It is indeed Deo that does a fantastic job at keeping the film engaging. Additionally, is gives us an antagonist we will always remember.

Two scowling cops bumble their way through a contrived plot…

The twist in tale is as dubious as the film’s feminism, in how it conveniently aligns with the patriotic mood of the moment. But it still doesn’t thaw a hard-hearted viewer like yours truly.

The action is nasty and short, and before any “what just happened” questions can be asked, ACP Yash delivers yet another punch. It’s not quite India’s answer to the Mission: Impossible films, but at least on the thrills front, it’s halfway there.