PremiumEagle Review - The Ravi Teja starrer is ambitious, has great action but lacks emotions and is lengthy
Eagle Review - The Ravi Teja starrer is about a man who wants to stop illegal arms dealing in India. Ravi Teja is cool in his new look and the action episodes are great.
Ravi Teja in Eagle
Last Updated: 02.06 PM, Feb 09, 2024
Eagle Story
Anupama Parameswaran, who plays a young journalist, writes a small article about cotton cultivation in an interior part of Andhra. As soon as the article goes viral, things change overnight as RAW jumps into action and the proceedings go back to a powerful man in that area, named Sahadev (Ravi Teja). He is the one who is behind the cotton cultivation. The RAW then reveals to the journalist that Sahavdev is a dangerous contract killer named Eagle. Who is Eagle? Why did he change into Sahadev? What is his back story and did the RAW nab him? That forms the story of the film.
Eagle Review
Eagle is directed by cinematographer-turned-director Karthik Ghattamaneni. He has chosen an ambitious subject about illegal arms smuggling, given it a human angle and narrated it through the story of Ravi Teja, who changes for the better and has big dreams to save the country from illegal arms dealing. But in all this, Karthik had too much to handle and made the film a bit stretched and over the top in many areas.
The first half of the film has mostly voiceovers and elevations that are dragged over a point. What draws your attention is the excellent production values and Ravi Teja's new look. The film is like an investigation in the first half and lacks drama. At one point, less of Ravi Teja and more of elevations are showcased by the director, Karthik.
It is only in the pre-interval block that Eagle manages to retain your attention. A solid interval block sets the stage for an action-packed second half. Eagle is narrated in multiple layers and mostly runs in flashback mode and through the eyes of Anupama Parameswaran's character. Once the real identity of the protagonist is revealed, Eagle becomes interesting and the action keeps you hooked.
But once the flashback begins and the heroine, Kavya Thapar, makes an entry, the film becomes tedious. The love story is outright silly and could have been avoided. Eagle is about a powerful man hiding in his den and handling a large army of Naxalites, the Indian army, and local goons. It is difficult to believe that a sizable army cannot enter the hero's fort because Navdeep, who plays his henchman, controls them all by himself.
Director Karthik Ghattamaneni needs to be applauded, as he has designed the action episodes in a very stylish manner. The action is slick and Ravi Teja kills it with his cool attitude. One of the major assets of the film is the background score by Davzand, which is of international standards.
With Eagle, Ravi Teja tries something new and sticks to the content. There are no mass songs, silly jokes, or unnecessary dance moves from the mass maharaja. He plays a respectable role and the salt-and-pepper looks good on him. He gives a sincere performance and his fans will love seeing him do something new.
Kavya Thapar appears in a cameo and is okay. Eagle has some fun moments thanks to Ajay Ghosh, Mirchi Kiran, and Srinivasa Reddy, who evoke some laughs amid the madcap action. Vinay Rai is okay in his role and does not have much to do. Navdeep gets a meaty role and ably supports Ravi Teja throughout the film. Anupama Parameswaran has a key role and is impressive as a journalist. Sreenivasa Avasarala, as a RAW officer, looks weak in the narrative.
One of the major drawbacks of the film is that Ravi Teja is shown as an unstoppable force but the way the government and other forces try to tackle him looks pale and has no weight in the proceedings. The camera work by Karthik is top-notch, as the action sequences and setup look grand. A lot of money is pumped into the film and that shows in every scene.
Eagle is low on the emotional angle. The reason Ravi Teja transforms into a man who decides to stop illegal arms dealing is not narrated properly and lacks lustre. Director Karthik has also edited the film and could have chopped multiple scenes in the first half. He has managed to design good action sequences, which are new in Telugu cinema, but in the process, the emotional angle has not been given any importance. The film ends up becoming an out-and-out action film in the second half.
Also, he connects all the dots way too late and it doesn't even make sense in the end. Karthik Ghattamaneni starts the film on an interesting note but in an attempt to shine the spotlight on the hero, he introduces multiple chapters that bore the audience. The second half makes some sense and looks stylish but the emotional angle and the reason for which the protagonist is fighting give a mixed feeling.
Eagle Verdict
On the whole, Eagle is a stylized action drama that has some great fight sequences in the second half. Ravi Teja kills it in his new look and powerful role. But the storyline lacks novelty, emotions do not work, and the setup looks a bit over the top. All those who love action films can give this film a shot.