Title: FatehDirector: Sonu SoodCast: Sonu Sood, Jacqueline Fernandez, Vijay Raaz, Naseeruddin ShahWhere: In theatres near youRating: 3.5 starsIn a scene mounted to place the protagonist as India's answer to James Bond, Sonu Sood stands against the imposing Golden Gate Bridge of San Francisco. The swanky car he drives, on the so-clean-that-one-could-lick-them, San Francisco roads, the sharp black suit he dons, the chiseled jawline coupled with the cool shades he wears, one could smell the secret agent from miles away! He walks up to a bunch of baddies, threatens them with a box of explosives about to be detonated, while engaging them with a story on 'insaan ki fitrat'. Nobody wants to take chance. Our hero walks away with a briefcase he exchanged, even if the bad guys decide to do the litmus test. The box does explode, as they throw it in the ocean nearby mocking at it as just a prank. But hey, the smart ass agent has managed to place another box right under their bloody noses -- only to see himself drive away from the scenic location, and witness the explosion from a distance! Boom! Yes, he is a certified secret agent and that's his (back) story! When a mafioso roars 'Har cheh-footiya Bachchan nahi hota' (every six footer is not a hero), right behind our hero's mighty back, he decides to lock the door of a room where the baddies are packed in dozens. What's next? A relentless spree of killings is unleashed in a couple minutes! Eyeballs pop, a running drill machine pierced through buccal cavity, oesophagus ruptured, bones pounded to pulps, Fateh knows his job 'bloody' well. It's a visceral amalgamation of 'Animal', 'Kill', 'John Wick,' and 'Kill Bill'. Sood keeps the action convincing in his directorial debut with a tight screenplay and 'bharpoor dialoguebaazi' (whistle-worthy, indeed!)In spite of these telling scenes, the first half looks sluggish. It is deliberately sleek in the to ramp up the proceedings in the second--at least, that's what we assume. Sonu takes time to set the peicees on the board quite astutely. Fateh's life is now miles away from his adventurous days as a secret agent. His neighbour Nimrat goes missing, after becoming pray to a huge cybercrime that our hero must decode. Not only does he have to get the girl back but also save Indian economy from an imminent collapse. Sood has an interesting story at hand -- that how we are interconnected via our savvy devices, and how technology has become so advanced that all of us are caught in a bloody mesh where we stand as victims without even realising how vulnerable we are with these very devices hearing us, collecting data from us, only to use all of it against us eventually. Watch Sood getting into a full throttle 'killer' mode as action directors Lee Whittaker, Habib Haji Sayed and Riyas dish out some 'gory' sequences. The cameras moves swiftly as Vincenzo Condorelli gives us the immersive action unfolding (you will relish it if the pallette is suitable and if you have the guts to digest the gore presented here!). Two-time Academy award winner Hans Zimmer and John Stewart Eduri elevate the tension with their top notch background score. Fateh employs everything he lays his hand on, scene after scene, sequences after sequences, keeping you on the edge of your seat!All in all, Fateh should be appreciated for Sood's vision as an actor, a director, a writer as indeed as a producer to craft an ambitious film of this scale and style. Though Vijay Raaz and Naseeruddin Shah's screen time is limited, they create an impact while Jacqueline continues to be just pleasant to watch.