"Indian army special forces carry out a covert operation avenging the killing of fellow army men at their base by a terrorist group."
Uri: The Surgical Strike is a Hindi-language military action film that very much comes across like the Indian equivalent of Zero Dark Thirty. A such, this is a film that works to gain an emotional hook on the audience by providing the main antagonist who wants to spend time with his family but ends up facing losses that draw him back into the active military for an act of revenge against terrorists.
Despite it being based on a true story (which always increases the appeal of something in my mind), every single aspect of this film is chosen to add to the emotional toll, to bring the audience onboard with the final act of the film. Whether it be a mother with Alzheimer's or the loss of a brother from terrorist activities, the emotional manipulation is very high in this film.
The first act of the film starts off brilliantly with an opening scene that shows the extent of the battles between the Indian military and the terrorists, and the rather opposite tactics in which they fight. The action set pieces are very well choreographed apart from a couple of hand-to-hand fights that feel more like a dance than an actual death-dealing fight. The remainder of the first act is all over the place though. While it is nice to see a film that is spending time trying to develop its main protagonist, it jumps and skips through time in a slow montage of sorts, that only develops the one character, Major Vihaan Singh Shergill.
To his credit, Vicky Kaushal does a brilliant job as Major Vihaan Singh Shergill. He is physically imposing and has great strength in his voice that no doubt boosts the confidence of all in his command. There is no doubt of the charisma and power that the actor has in this role, but I would have loved to have had some more development of the rest of the squad. There are a few women involved in the film, but despite their presence being built up, their roles in the film appear more like token performances than anything that adds to the content of the film.
The strength of the film comes from the second act onwards. Once the plot and its characters have been set-up, the film gradually increases in excitement and suspense during the planning of the operation, culminating in the execution of the strike in the final act. Everything works well because the film leaves no room for moral ambiguity. There are no grey areas; everything is black and white. The terrorists are in the wrong and must be stopped at any cost. The whole support of the audience relies on this aspect and our belief that the planning stage was completed correctly.
Uri: The Surgical Strike follows the same sort of formula as the western Hollywood action flicks, despite the film showing many different departments working together to coordinate this operation,
Major Vihaan Singh Shergill is the hero of this film and the success of the strike relies on the strength of his character alone. How true to the real story this is, I wouldn't know but it certainly feels too good to be true. Feels more Rambo-esque (or even Top Gun, if you look at those slo-mo helicopter scenes) than something based on a true story.
This is a great action film nonetheless. Once you get past the first act, it's all go, and consistently builds tension and suspense as you rush towards the final act. Successful use of time pressures and unexpected obstacles keeps the excitement and engagement levels high, and while the final moments of the strike do get messy, your heart is beating enough to carry it through to the end of the film. Competently shot, with some great set pieces and choreography.