Attitude, intensity and raw action. These are the three factors that make 'James' a good masala time pass entertainer to watch out for.

With Ram Gopal Verma's James, FACTORY goes one notch ahead with presenting a so-called-commercial fare that should shut the mouth of RGV's detractors who have been calling his movies as assembly line products. That's because James is the RGV's most formulaic movie ever. Hero, heroine, villain, goondas, politicians, corrupt cops, chase, 'dhishum dhishum', sword fights, comedy - it has everything that a hardcore potboiler always wants. And it comes at a time when such movies had stopped coming in altogether. So what makes this debutant venture by Rohit Jugraj so interesting?

It's EXECUTION and the hold over the proceedings that make James a highly entertaining stuff. Though towards the middle of the second half things tend to go stagnant and a bit repetitive, its a great first half and good climax that make James a good 'paisa vasool'!

Storyline of James is as simple as a love story cum actioner can have. Hero is James [Mohit Ahlawat making his debut] who comes from Goa to Mumbai in search of a job and gets one at a nightclub with the help of his friend Babloo [Snehal Dabhi]. He works as a bouncer there and comes across an under-18 model Nisha [Nisha Kothari] who is incidentally daughter of a meek DCP [Mohan Agashe] who can't even muster enough courage to confront politician cum goon Shanti Narayan [Zakir Hussain] and his troublesome brother Radhe Narayan [Shereveer Vakil].

Radhe lusts for Nisha who instead starts loving James after meeting him in a gym and then the nightclub where he works. James saves her from Radhe when he tries to molest her in the club and all hell breaks loose from here. Radhe, Shanti, cop Ravi Kale [earlier seen as Big B's right hand man in Sarkar], their team of goons, everyone is after the life of James. But it’s his sheer willpower, muscle power and fearless attitude that still makes him stand tall against the opposition....

And this is what indicates the "Rising Of A New Hero"!!

At the very outset, it is very easy to dismiss this action movie as yet another mindless hardcore masala potboilers that just come and go. But not in the case of James, where it is the execution [as stated earlier] that makes James a notch above the ordinary. In fact it would require guts to try making something in the 21st century that has been seen in at dozens of movies earlier. Its probably easy to fool an audience when it is a new subject due to an element of expected unpredictability attached to it. But it is quite difficult to present to audience something that has been seen a zillion times earlier but still manages to keep the viewer's attention alive. And this is where James succeeds to a great extent.

One is sure all the while about what would follow next. But it is the "how" element that invokes a great response from a viewer. The proceedings are so intense and action so raw that it results in 'seetis' and 'taalis' from everyone alike. In fact it is one of those rare movies where even the multiplex crowd was heard whistling and clapping while the action sequences were on. From the slickly shot introduction scene of Mohit when he bashes goons in a train to the scene in the gym where he encounters Radhe and his gang to the jail break to chase sequence on the Mumbai roads [the best sequence in the movie] to the escape on a bus to the dog chase sequence to the final sword fight - it is the action that makes the movie an entertaining affair. All this is elevated further due to effective background music by Amar Mohile who elevates the tension to a high degree. Cinematography is sharp and usage of some black and white frames intermittently give an edge to the proceedings.

Character of Mohit Ahlawat is shown to be a soft spoken person who speaks only when required. One doesn't mind that as it gives Mohit ample opportunities to be at his brawny best. In fact his body language does remind of Sylvester Stallone in his 'Rambo' days when his actions spoke louder than his words. A great looking guy with a body in perfect shape, he has a bright future in Bollywood. Nisha Kothari is fine too and though there aren't many scenes where she is required to do much more than the ordinary, her lengthy scene at the edge of the cliff while chased by the goons bring a lump in the throat.

Shereveer Vakil is a new baddie introduced with James and the guy does invoke terror. His locks dropping for the major part of his face make him a walking demon and gets an equally important launch as the lead hero. With a body to match that of the lead hero, he makes a strong impression. Zakir Hussain as a quite yet scheming head of the goons has a great screen presence and make the viewer thinking all the time about the next action that he may take. Snehal Dabhi and Mohan Agashe are just about fine while Ravi Kale is alright. Rajpal Yadav is there for around 15 minutes in the second half and his introduction scene is the best ever written. As always be brings in a smile when on frame, though in James, his character seems rather unwanted.

While action is the key strength of James, it also a deterrent for the family audience that may choose to watch a light hearted movie or some other entertainer instead. Raw action in the movie for most its part may keep the ladies away. Another thing that doesn't work for the movie is the song and dance sequences that are completely unwarranted. Except for 'Zindagi Jeene Ka Naam Hai' picturised on Nisha, none of the other tracks catch your attention. At best, they are present to showcase the anatomy of the both Mohit and Nisha but at least 'Sindoori Aasmaan' needs to be knocked away with immediate effect. It is grossly misplaced and slows down the pace of the movie considerably. Also one expected some mind games happening in the second half of the movie when the lead pair is on a chase but even in those times it is action that prevails over drama.

Nevertheless the movie is meant for the masses and this is where it exactly hits the chord. A 'masala' entertainer, it should at least be able to recover its [low] investment and also make some small profit for its makers.