RDX Movie Review: Explosive action lights up this otherwise generic film

There's something stimulating about a well-made action film, and likewise, there's something exciting about a multi-starrer. RDX is a well-blended cocktail of both. It has some terrific action bolstered by three leads, each of them skilled in a unique form of martial art. While Robert (Shane Nigam) is a fleet-footed karate master, his elder brother Dony (Antony Varghese) is a powerful boxer, and Xavier is a Nunchaku expert. It's an interesting mix of combat techniques, which stunt choreographers AnbAriv make best use of. More than anyone else, it is this stunt master duo who ensure this film packs a punch.

In the world of Lokesh Kanagarajs and Prashanth Neels, enters debutant director Nahas Hidhayath and shows solid potential in handling action-heavy films. Despite being bogged down by a generic revenge-driven plot, the director succeeds in delivering the high moments. No matter how many times you've seen it before, it's always thrilling to see the wounded hero hitting back or the once-menacing hero returning from exile. RDX relies on such familiar moments to create a rousing experience. The film also smartly overcomes the redundancy in the fights by placing the action sequences in different locations—open grounds,a massive carnival field, passenger boat, and a thickly populated colony. Besides Anbariv, Nahas also gets ample support from his editor Chaman Chakko, who employs a range of stylised edit patterns to elevate the mass moments.

Cast: Shane Nigam, Antony Varghese, Neeraj Madhav, Vishnu Agasthya

Director: Nahas Hidhayath

A major challenge of a multistarrer is ensuring all the actors get equal prominence. Though RDX mostly revolves around the characters played by Antony and Shane, the makers manage to devise individual moments of glory for all three of them. The narrative begins with a dashing intro of Antony Varghese, who unlike usual is not restricted to doing just action. He puts on a superb act while emoting, especially when he sees his injured daughter in the ICU and the reunion scene with Shane. With his expressive eyes and natural swagger, Shane, once again, shows why he is both a terrific actor and a star material. In this film, he does almost everything that's expected of a typical commercial hero—action, comedy, romance... Romance! Well, the track involving him and Mahima Nambiar is easily the film's weakest link, but Shane is still effective. Although not as prominent as the other two, Neeraj Madhav does his part graciously. It is quite a sight to see him effortlessly swing the Nunchaku with the precision of a veteran.

During its production, RDX was in the midst of a controversy when it was alleged that there were internal disputes between the three actors. We never know what transpired behind the scenes, but none of it shows in the film. All we see on screen is a strong rapport between them. During the fights—like mentioned above—they all have distinct styles and never try to overshadow the other. They all have their strengths and play accordingly. The rapport is evident not just in the action scenes, but also during the emotional portions. Opposite them is a formidable antagonist, played to perfection by Vishnu Agasthya. His character Paulson may not be strong on paper, but the actor does a remarkable job in selling himself as an intimidating villain.

RDX is set in a world of testosterone-driven men, who get easily provoked. It's the case with both the good guys and the bad guys. Perhaps the only two sane men in the entire film are the veterans, Lal and Babu Antony. But by the end of it all, even they lose all their sanity and embrace violence. But should we really care?... because we get to see Babu Antony in action! And what a comforting sight it is to see him stand and fight along with the heroes!