Johnny Gaddaar (2007, Sriram Raghavan)

I'll just get this out of the way right now because it's the best way to sum up "Johnny Gaddaar" in one sentence: this is the best Tarantino film ever made, with the possible exception of QT's best film "Jackie Brown". That's not to say Sriram Raghavan is necessarily influenced by Tarantino. He might have been, but it's not necessarily an obvious influence. What is clear is that like Tarantino Raghavan is a director heavily influenced by pulpy crime fiction, a director and writer whose inspirations aren't highbrow, and one who isn't afraid to wear his influences on his sleeve. "Johnny Gaddaar" could have been adapted from an Elmore Leonard novel like "Jackie Brown" was, but was inspired more by the significantly lesser but still engaging works of legendary pulp writer James Hadley Chase (who achieved immense popularity in India and Africa), who Raghavan dedicated the film to, along with "Jewel Thief" director Vijay Anand.

While "Jackie Brown" is the only film of Tarantino's which I think is truly exceptional, I imagine I will enjoy Raghavan's other film as much as I did this film when I do see it. That's because Raghavan appears to be a smarter, more creative version of Tarantino, as much as that will seem like blasphemy to 14 year old Americans reading this. The references and homages are all significantly subtler than in most Tarantino films, and when included in dialogue they are worked in far more seamlessly. Moreover, Raghavan never loses sight of the story, something Tarantino frequently does, sadly. He appears to have a far greater grasp of the emotional aspects of his writing and direction as well.

There's no point in attempting to describe this film's fairly complicated plot. It's a pulpy thriller plot with lots of twists and turns, and Raghavan's script is excellent, with solid dialogue (as far as I could tell from the English subtitles anyway), no major plot holes or questionable plot mechanics, and a neat, well thought-out structure. It's hardly original, and I read somewhere that Raghavan publicly acknowledges the heavy influence of one particular James Hadley Chase novel on the film as well as some other things, but it feels fresh, so it doesn't matter. The cinematography and sound mixing are very good, but Raghavan's direction is what interested me most. It definitely is 'stylish' and 'cool', but it's also restrained and again, he never loses sight of the story he's telling, which is essential when it's this sort of twisty pulp tale. Very good editing as well and a cool, understated sophistication and class about the visuals. Raghavan is a master at establishing a sense of setting and creating atmosphere. The original score and couple of original songs (which aren't intrusive musical numbers or anything) also help set the mood.

There is no feeling in the world better than sleepily reading a twisty-turny pulp crime paperback on an overnight train ride. I don't think any movies have emulated that feeling better than "Jackie Brown" and "Johnny Gaddaar". They're both tremendous movies, both extremely well-crafted, smart thrillers which are proud to be pulpy crime stories, have great ensemble casts and well-developed characters as well as a great story. I liked "Johnny Gaddaar" on first viewing but it took another to make me realize just how brilliant it is.