RRR (2022)

This is the biggest, most insane movie you've probably never heard of.

What is it?

Bheem and Raju are two powerful men, who form a powerful friendship. That friendship is tested against the might of the British Empire. There is dancing, and singing, and tiger fights, and explosions.

The Good Stuff

Epic

This movie is three hours long. And yet, it is paced so well, and so well constructed that it never slogs. The action set pieces are all insane: a lone policeman fights a violent mob single-handedly; a man armed only in a loin cloth outsmarts both a wolf and a tiger in the jungle; a dance battle at a garden party. And if that last one doesn't feel as cool or interesting as the two that precede it, trust me: it is just as exciting and riveting.

SS Rajamouli knows what he is doing, and has created a dazzling, mythic epic. The colors are vibrant and rich. The camera is dynamic, flowing around the action without getting lost in it. The song and dance breaks are earned at highly emotional moments, that enhance their effect: Bheem has a song that he sings while being tortured in front of a crowd. What keeps the moment from becoming a kind of cheap Passion of the Christ gory knock off is the fact that Bheem's song is so beautiful and heartfelt, that it inspires the crowd around him to revolt. He refuses to kneel. He refuses to pass out. He refuses to cry. Instead, he fucking sings. Incredible.

FRIENDSHIP!

The whole movie rests on the chemistry of Bheem (NT Rama Rao Jr.) and Raju (Ram Charan Teja). And they have chemistry in spades. Their friendship is believable and wholesome. They fight for the glory of India, against the oppression of the British, but they are also fighting for each other. Rajamouli and his team have crafted a wonderful tale of passion, and revolt, and NTR and Ram breathe vital life into it. 

They can also deliver blistering choreography in near mirror precision. 

I especially enjoyed the kind of smiling, joyous masculinity on display here. Bheem and Rama smile at each other. They embrace. They cry in front of each other. They also kick ass, and their bad-assery is not diminished in any way by their shows of affection. I wish American action movies could approach masculinity with the same amount of joy.

These men are titans of the Tollywood industry, and they deserve a shot at glory in American films. Put them in the next Fast and the Furious movie, you cowards!

Insane Action

I mentioned the Fast and Furious franchise earlier. If you like that brand of insane action, RRR delivers that dialed up to eleven. At one point, Bheem hoists Rama onto his shoulders, and they have an extended action sequence demolishing a host of British troops riding piggy-back. But the action is not simply bombastic: it is also detailed. The fight choreography is as specific and well-timed as a John Wick movie. 

And when you think the film can't go any harder, it drops "Naatu Naatu" on you like an atomic bomb. "Naatu Naatu" is a four minute music video set at a quaint English garden paerty, where our heroes school a dweeby Fauntleroy by dancing their asses off. It is incredible. And a legit global sensation. You may have seen it on TikTok.

This movie is exciting, breathtaking, and earnest. And it is a helluva lot of fun.

Cathartic

Rajmouli has set up proper villains for his epic: British Colonizers. He goes the extra mile by casting Ray Stevenson and Alison Doody as the Buxtons, the sneering, governing monsters who embody the whole of British nastiness. It is quite cathartic to watch two men of color brutally fight back. The film has been referred to as "historical fan fiction," and I am pretty OK with that. Bheem and Rama bring the pain with creativity and flair. I relished the opportunity to see such men in a position of power.

The Bad Stuff

I Have Nothing Bad to Say

Maybe you will complain about having to read subtitles. Well, Netflix has a serviceable English dub for you. 

You might complain about the underwritten female characters: but this is clearly the story of the friendship between Bheem and Rama. Jenny (Olivia Morris) might be a bit one note, but she does serve as a stark contrast to Alison Doody's Lady Buxton, who chews every scene with delightful aplomb. And when the movie very briefly becomes a romantic comedy, Jenny gets an opportunity to shine. Just before Bheem rides a wave of wild animals into a gala event, and we get back to the Action Movie of it all. 

You might complain about the run time. But I think movies can earn extended runs with compelling storytelling and craft. RRR more than earns every minute of its 187 minute run time. Even watching at home, on my TV, this movie moved me in the way that great cinema is supposed to. I don't know that I can say anything better than that.

The Final Word

Some movies come along and inspire you to find out everything that filmmaker has made and inject it into your eyeballs post-hate. RRR has done that for me: I want to know everything that SS Rajmouli has made, so I can live in his insane world more. I want to know more about Tollywood. I want to know more about the leads. I think I just want to watch this movie again. And again.

You should go watch it right now.