Top Cast
In late 18th century Bundelkhand, a bounty hunter wanders in search of a man he has sought for 20 long years. A mysterious young woman obstinately attaches herself to him. Meanwhile, a convey led by a devious leader makes an arduous journey to the Yamuna, as a prophecy hangs over his infant heir. Somewhere, a "jungle" tracker pieces together a trail as he follows a scent. As fate draws them all together; journeys, prophecies and promises find their truth buried in a bloody but forgotten past.
Critic Consensus
Critical reception for Laal Kaptaan is largely negative to mixed, with most reviewers acknowledging its ambition in crafting an Indian period Western set against a richly detailed historical backdrop. Saif Ali Khan's performance and the film's willingness to explore a morally complex, fractured vision of old India drew some appreciation. However, critics widely faulted the film for a sluggish pace, an overlong runtime, and a narrative that fails to bring its disparate elements into a cohesive whole. The general consensus is that the film's promising premise is ultimately undone by an over-written script and a lack of narrative momentum.
11 reviews · 1 positive · 5 mixed · 1 negative
AI-generated summary of 11 critic reviews · may contain errors
Report inaccuracyCritic Reviews (11)
"There are flashes when you feel the film will finally say something important, but then it lapses back into stodgy set-pieces which go on and on."Read full review ↗
"Singh, the director, had all the pieces to craft an effectual Indian western: the terrain, the long-suffering sadhu, an age of flux, elements of magic realism, and touches of Shakespearean tragedy. But Laal Kaptaan falters on an over-written script and visually over-told story."Read full review ↗
"Somewhere, 'Laal Kaptaan' was perhaps attempting to be a Western movie, with horses, dust, guns and the works, but ultimately, a tedious narrative and a very lengthy runtime pull it down."Read full review ↗
"Even though Singh keeps away from the sentimentality common to Hindi cinema, Laal Kaptaan lacks pace and certain scenes feel unbearably long. Dialogues, so essential for a historical thriller like this one, falter and flail in critical scenes, puncturing the impact of a unique story. As far as Hindi films go, Laal Kaptaan treads a path less trodden, but it meanders and spectacularly loses steam. It should have cut to the chase, literally and figuratively, but instead, it becomes an unbearably long and pointless pursuit."Read full review ↗
"'Laal Kaptaan' is strictly for Khan's fans who dig his cerebral conversations in person and therefore will be easy on him."Read full review ↗
"ensational; but a stretch, sadly...In Laal Kaptaan we effectively experience a valiant attempt at merging the East, with the Western"Read full review ↗
"All the interesting disparate elements in the film don't come together well enough to build it into a compelling whole"Read full review ↗
"Laal Kaptaan is the sort of film I wish there were more of – an exploration of the richness and weirdness of old India, one which doesn't try to smooth the edges or create a Disney-esque franchise. Recent films have used our nation's distant past as a reflecting pool of orthodoxy (Padmaavat) and proto-nationalism (Manikarnika). Singh, on the other hand, admits that we've always been a complicated, fractured country, and that entire lives can be defined by nothing more than a desire for revenge."Read full review ↗
"Laal Kaptaan is a boring and self-absorbed period drama – one that is so obsessed with historical detailing, eccentric characters, bare physicality and country-style pace that it forgets to be narratively and humanely absorbing."Read full review ↗
"Saif Ali Khan's slow-burning period Western beautifully sets up its period and ambition, only to peter off at the most crucial juncture."Read full review ↗
Cast & Crew
Cast
- Saif Ali Khan
- Deepak Dobriyal
- Manav Vij · Rahmat Khan
- Simone Singh
- Sonakshi Sinha · Noor Bai[7][8]
- Navdeep Singh
- Sunil Lulla
- Shanker Raman
- Jabeen Merchant
Director
Writer
Cinematography
Producer
Editing
Details
User Ratings & Reviews
2 ratings from the community
Community Reviews (2)
This is an unmistakably bland attempt to a period drama which can't even correct it's entertainment. Saif Ali Khan delivers a bizarre performance as a Naga Sadhu and the experiment, however interesting it might have been, didn't work for me. The weakest link though is Zoya Hussain, the interesting 'Mukkabaz' debutant. I didn't expect such a bad act from an otherwise very interesting actress. Deepak Dobriyal is the strongest, the most out-and-out thing from an otherwise bland historical thriller which fails it's characters repeatedly.
I think the reviews are deeply unfair. Yes the director fails to keep the twist hidden long enough. (Think, Once Upon a Time in the West) However this is a great slow burn Western. It has the Peckinpah or even J. P. Dutta style of film making. Well worth a watch. Check out the audience reviews on Amazon Prime. I personally think someone has paid to have this movie trashed!
