The John Abraham starrer suffers from its length, and the pall of dullness that hangs over the proceedings. A spy needs to be a patriot. That’s why he does what he does, knowing that he is ‘deniable’.

RAW never really examines its main character’s obvious identity crisis and his conflict of faith – partly due to the actor’s limited abilities, but mostly due to the mood of our times

While the story does lack an intellectual plot to make this intriguing enough, John Abraham carries the film on his shoulders.

This entire final episode is as bizarre and as difficult to digest as the weird name he adopts. The final throw of the dice gives India an edge in the war in the fictional account that the film conjures up, but it does little to rescue Romeo Akbar Walter from its dispiriting somnolence.

Toss a coin; do you want new Ra(w) or not-so-new Ra(azi!)

All said and done, Romeo Akbar Walter could have been a lot better than what it is now. The paper-thin plot, pretending to be a lot intelligent than what it is backed by a very lousy narration. Don’t fall for the patriotic trap!

This film has   the most understated performance by John Abraham in recent times. He oozes sincerity in every frame, and tries gamely not to break character and go all berserker-like against the baddies, breaking their necks with bare hands. We wait for that to happen but for once his character uses brains rather than brawns to defeat his enemies...

These stories deserve the spotlight more than ever before, given the tinderbox India is sitting on currently after the Pulwama attack. But RAW chooses to tell the other, more populist side of the story. Though that is completely the makers' choice, one wishes they would have not given up on nuance while translating the popular sentiment into a half-baked spy thriller.