There are some films that take time to set the mood. And then there’s 7 Dogs, where the opening shot is that of a bullet’s POV as it pierces through somebody’s head only to reveal two men fighting in a plane that is about to go down. For a while, it’s hard to tell who is the good guy, and who is the bad one — but then in movie like these, this hardly matters. 

You can fault this movie for many things, but being unclear in its intentions is not one of them. 7 Dogs is the kind of corny action entertainer that one likes to watch with their friends, after a heavy workday. The plot is consciously wafer-thin, and the audience’s intelligence is rarely tested — but it also seems like both the audience and the makers are in on the joke. Directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, 7 Dogs tells the story of Khalid (Ahmed Ezz), a revered Interpol officer who returns from his desk job drudgery to crack down a massive drug syndicate, popularly known as 7 Dogs. For this mission, Khalid enlists the help of Ghali Abu Dawood (Karim Abdel Aziz), a jovial yet lethal former member of the syndicate who was arrested but could be of big help to Khalid in the mission. 

Directed by: Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah

Cast: Karim Abdel Aziz, Ahmed Ezz, Monica Bellucci, Martin Lawrence, Sanjay Dutt, Salman Khan

The larky caper mood is off the charts, with the makers never taking themselves seriously through all the high-jinx action and chases. In what appears to be a high-stakes mission, the mood is somehow laidback and light-hearted, largely courtesy Karim Abdel Aziz, who plays Ghali with disarming ease, delivering witty one-liners in the midst of tense situations (in all honesty, they sound funnier in a Hindi dub). Meanwhile, the writers make space for a ‘love interest’ prototype that exists purely to alleviate tension and lightly underline the hero’s tenacity.

You can also sense the makers’ hankering and enthusiasm to treat the visual design like a playground. There are split-screens of all dimensions, drawing attention with the quirky frames. The camerawork is flashy but often interesting. There is ample use of animation, never letting us forget the comic book vibe of it all (One of these sequences feel like a conscious ode to Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill). We also get some quirky, outlandish action set-pieces, including one particularly elaborate sequence set in India that begins on a roof top, travelling through many crowded lanes (and shot with Salman Khan as an auto-rickshaw driver, of all things) that is impressively giddy. 

There is also a bewildering sequence where our lead characters end up tripping on the very mysterious drug (named ‘Pink Lady’) they are out to bust, executed with excessive confidence. It’s hard to tell what the sequence adds to the plot — but it looks good, or at least attractive enough to keep you distracted, like most other things in this movie. 

The goofy tone remains consistent until the final stretch where the makers suddenly realise that these characters also deserve to be rooted for. There are melodramatic flashbacks, pushing hard for our emotional investment. The decision doesn’t bode well for the narrative that suddenly feels lethargic despite all the dazzling action and hyper-kinetic edit pattern. And yet, in a strange way, it feels in sync for a ‘guilty pleasure’ movie like this. 

The lead cast, appearing in extended cameos, never forget the assignment — Sanjay Dutt plays Ranjit Kapur, a druglord moonlighting as a social media-crazy influencer who remains impish enough to be seduced by a faux shipment of Belgian chocolate. Monica Bellucci too hits that right note between aloof and corny that a role of this nature demands. Martin Lawrence is amusing as a short-tempered drug lord, and it’s fun to see Salman Khan in a role that requires him to be a side-kick of sorts.

Meanwhile, the focus on mindless big screen spectacle never leaves the room. In a sequence towards the end, a visual of a massive explosion — multiple 18-wheelers go up in flames all at once — reminds you why certain films are meant purely for the big screen. But it’s not just about the scale — thanks to the person sitting beside me who wouldn’t stop chuckling at every piece of cheesy dialogue, I never forgot this is one of those movies where consistent awareness of it being a goofy, mindless actioner can only help the viewing experience. 

If anything, 7 Dogs makes a good case for why communal watching experience is an essential component of our love for movies — good, bad, and everything in between.