Wild Dog - A not bad actioner that is unfussy but lacks the thrills!

Bharath Vijayakumar

Action thrillers set around a mission more often than not follow a similar template. And the predictability increases when you have a star leading the mission. Wild Dog starring Nagarjuna is the kind of film that keeps it simple. It avoids the commercial trappings associated with a typical Telugu mainstream actioner and tries to go about things in a cool and unfussy manner. The key here is that it 'tries', as the results are a mixed bag.

What works in Wild Dog is that it is rather focussed right from the word go and the entire film is a stretch of one operation. Hero glorification is rather muted and his backstory and emotional baggage are kept to a bare minimum. But the constant adrenaline rush or the associated thrill that is the primary reason for this genre to exist is sorely missing. The chases across geographies , the stunts and the near escapes - all these play out in a rather mechanical fashion. The villains are cardboard characters and even the hero and his team do not bring much to the table except for the effort to sound cool. The stunts aren't exaggerated but for a film that does not rely on emotional connect and is being treated like a video game, you need the stunts to capture your attention.

Bottomline:

Wild Dog is a passable actioner that remains watchable but it barely offers the thrills of the genre.

Rating: 2.5/5

PS: Streaming on Netflix