The film then is sloppy and contrived; it’s an unoriginal and uninspiring thriller that’s let down by flabby writing.

The matter-of-factness with which brutal acts are interspersed through this film, and the zest with which they are carried out, made me think that this must be a copy of some Hollywood film. But the rest of it is weighed down with childhood angst in a very European fashion.

‘John Day’ can’t be described as an admirable work. It is certainly not meant for the squeamish or the ‘Chennai Express’ constituency. Yet, neither is it dismissable as an average, formula thriller. It has it engaging moments. And of course, Mr Shah to remind you that acting can save the day, ‘John Day’.

Is this film more interesting than a documentary of the same actors having lunch? The answer is no.

John Day fails as a thriller. I suppose it had a run time of approximately two hours, but it felt more like five.

John Day initially gives an impression that it’s all about decoding a puzzle or unravelling a mystery at breakneck speed. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. It’s gripping but like the characters, the plot is way too ambiguous, deceitful and tedious for your liking.

A muddled affair, John Day seems lost in its own maze of self-indulgence.

From the trailer, I expected John Day to be a marvel of sorts but with deceiving story that runs off track for most part, the film is too ambiguous. Though Naseeruddin Shah’s acting helps, the film revels in morbidity and audaciously flaunts its comatose story. Frankly I was terrorized by this arid movie’s drabness. I went in hoping for so much and came out thinking how bad will it be if I mark this film a zero. However, I finally settled for 1/5 for John Day. The best thing that happened to me all day was that the film finally got over after what felt like light years.

Incomplete, boring and confusing comes easily to the mind when describing the film. All in all, a bland thriller.

JOHN DAY is a razor-sharp thriller with an engaging screenplay, high-voltage drama and sterling performances as its aces. A film like JOHN DAY is a leap in the right direction. It reinforces your faith and trust in qualitative films and deserves to be supported. Strongly recommended!

While the film keeps you reasonably interested in the first half, it still moves like a driver on a highway who refuses to move into top gear. The plot which tries to be too smart for its own good falls apart considerably, later.

For a film about losers “John Day” proves to be a paradoxically profitable movie-viewing experience for the audience.

If there is a sole reason to watch this film, it is Naseeruddin Shah.

Not for a while have we seen a film so steeped in despair, so swathed in anxiety, so audaciously draped in despair and yet it engages our senses without miring the plot in morbidity.

What really destroys the film is that even in the final hour it never feels like anything is at stake. The climactic scene falls completely limp because the story never makes you care about anything that’s going on. The film never presented me a hook to continue watching and ultimately I could finish watching John Day because I am a huge film buff, and the process was a struggle. Most film viewers will be fine skipping it altogether.

John Day is confusing and boring and has very little to entertain. It will, therefore, not be able to create any mark at the box-office. Its poor opening will only add to its tale of woes.

Inspired by Box 507 (Spain, 2002), John Day is a slow, cumbersome watch that takes too much time to tell too little.