In the end Wazir is moody and atmospheric, and gripping for a large part. What it needed was a tighter script with fewer holes.

There’s enough to watch in ‘Wazir’ despite its flaws. It reaffirms something we’ve always known: that there’s nothing to beat a plot-driven film (co-written by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Abhijat Joshi). That the supreme importance in a thriller is to keep it going. And that strong performances are the pivot of any film: watching Akhtar and Bachchan joust and manoeuver around each other is this film’s high point.

It has competent moments, but is too generic to be memorable, and that’s a shame for it could so easily have been a winner.

As it stands, Wazir is the one thing a chess player can never afford to be: Obvious.

Despite the smaller flaws and the slightly botched up ending, the film is definitely worth a watch.

A story that uses chess quite literally as a game and as a metaphor, we’d have loved to see it check-mate us. We’d have loved to lose to the storyteller and have all our guesses proved wrong by the time the end credits rolled. But sadly, this game leaves a lot to be desired.  

Wazir is at best a one-time watch, if only for the academic interest of viewing Amitabh Bachchan and Farhan Akhtar in the same film.

Consistent hard focus over sentimental soft-focus would have let these shatranj ke khiladi blow up that chess board. As it is, they complete their game – but don’t check-mate smartly enough.

Worth one visit for sure for AB Sr’s superlative acting and some ceetee-worthy dialogue (why don’t we write like this anymore?). As a thrilling drama, it has some bite, but as a suspenseful tale, it lacks teeth.

In a nutshell, Wazir is a commendable attempt by Nambiar. Watch the film for its performances.

Wazir is a missed opportunity. It is a story that could have been gripping but suffers from a bad treatment, thus leaving you disappointed. Farhan and Big B do their best to save this botched up plot but they can’t. So basically, it’s like the audiences will end up saying Check Mate to the makers.

WAZIR, despite boasting of some of the great performances, reasonably fails to leave the desired impact because of its convoluted script. At the box office, the film may just about appeal to a handful of the multiplex audiences who would want to get a taste of Bollywood entertainment in absence of any new film releases since past three weeks.

Even those who can’t second guess the outcome, the climax is convenient and inane. The emotional depth and the complex character behaviour that engages you through the first half are slavishly abandoned for action-movie thrills. It’s all well done. The production, the sound, the action is all top notch. But the writing is King of the game in a film. The technique is merely a pawn. You can sacrifice the pawns but not the King.

If you are planning to watch WAZIR (I suggest you do), track every move, analyze every act on screen; it will help you decipher the Wazir: the winning move that wins the war!

Wazir is a con job, endeavouring to show us layers that it chooses to do almost nothing with.

What works against the film, however, is loads of groan worthy cliches, predictable storyline and worst of all, it also suffers from the common woe of most Bollywood thrillers; lack of subtlety. There is nothing left to audience’s imagination as the director goes about painstakingly explaining every move, every turn of the story. ‘Wazir’ is a good, one time watch.

Writers Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Abhijat Joshi might have cracked an interesting storyline, originally planned in English as ‘The Fifth Move’ in 2003, but over the years its lost its sheen. And that’s a shame, really.

This looks like a terrific year ahead for Bollywood. Wazir is a solid start. A gripping thriller anchored by Bachchan and Akhtar’s compelling compatibility. Not to be missed.

While using chess as a backdrop is quite an interesting idea, one wishes the writers and the director made good moves and clocked themselves too. Overall, the film is neatly shot (Sanu Varghese) and paced (Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Abhijat Joshi). But that simply does not work its charms. The ‘leave your brains behind’ policy may work for this film; if you don’t question it, you may enjoy it! 

Wazir surprises us with a brilliant beginning and Amitabh Bachchan emoting with just his face and Farhan’s seething passions are near short of a miracle, you think. And then with the second half of tiresome explanations and almost laughable action sequences, the film simply freefalls into tediousness.

I was quite satisfied while making a move from the theatre. Yeah, this totally works, for the time it lasts! Can’t quite ask for more.

Nambiar impresses us after ‘Shaitan’ and ‘David’ – although a few fight sequences could have been more unique and luscious to the eyes. The first movie of 2016 is here – watch if you like chess, Amitabh and Farhan – and ready to ignore the obvious, yet minor cinematic pitfalls.

By the end of Wazir, you will know you haven’t watched anything very novel. The plot, the ultimate reveal are, for the lack of a better word, very predictable. You’d still do better than give this one a miss. A good thriller doesn’t come by every day. Wazir is almost there. 

Watch the film only for the impressive performances of Amitabh Bachchan and Farhan Akhtar. However, if you are looking for a good thriller, you might go disappointed!

This one is worthy of a single watch, but only for Akhtar, who is relentless and determined in his efforts to make this film work.

Bachchan is reliable as ever, particularly with grief written all over his broken face…It’s Farhan of the first half, plunging the depths of emotions, who makes you take note of him as a dramatic performer. However, by the time we get to the end even he seems jaded and lacklustre. Like the film itself.

Wazir proves to show that actors are reduced to pawns if there’s no solid story backing them.

This is definitely a must watch movie. It will hit the silver screens tomorrow, January 8. Without any doubt this game of chess would be loved and leave you surprised for sure.

Wazir doesn’t give you much time to think with its intelligent script and face paced story-line! It keeps you on the edge of your seats, keeping you entertained with this emotional thriller. Verdict: Wazir is a good movie and a great one time watch!

Overall, despite Amitabh’s gyan on pyar, ishq, mohabbat, despite him going overboard with his analogies between life and shatranj, the film doesn’t give you much insight into anything.
It’s an emotional thriller with an ending that you can see from a mile yet is impactful. Watch it once. It won’t hurt.  

Wazir has all the makings of an irresistible, sexy, tempting thriller that comes together in its climax but doesn’t roll out as convincingly as expected. It tries to be deceptive but doesn’t have enough to outsmart all. It evokes thought, woos you with its brusque, bravado style and its distinct flavour. If you can survive the boredom of the weaker moments in the movie, you might just be left intrigued with the power of its crackling climax.

Sharp viewers will guess the conclusion much before it comes. Yet, Wazir remains watchable even at its eyeball-rolling best.

The flaws are glaring, and the pace, even for about 50 minutes post-interval, is too long and flaccid. The climax is remarkably tame and made so simplistically that it’s plain silly!

With a runtime of less than two hours, Wazir is tightly edited which makes it an enjoyable movie to begin 2016.