Knock Out

Overall Rating: 1.86/5
  
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List of Knock Out Reviews


Ratings:1.5/5 Reviewer:Rajeev Masand Site:IBNLive

Neither nail-biting nor particularly engaging, 'Knock Out' never quite works as a thriller. It's equally unsuccessful when it borrows that vigilante justice angle from 'A Wednesday'. Ridiculously simplistic in its logic, the very morality of this film is offensive. The performances by all three actors are uniformly embarrassing.I'm going with one-and-a-half out of five for director Mani Shankar's 'Knock Out'. I can't decide what's worse - that they plagiarized a film entirely, or that they couldn't even make a good film despite that!

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 Ratings:2.5/5 Reviewer:Taran Adarsh Site:BollywoodHungama

You can't turn a blind eye to the fact that KNOCK OUT borrows from PHONE BOOTH. Even otherwise, a man held hostage in a telephone booth by a sniper automatically compels you to think that PHONE BOOTH is the prime source of inspiration, but what follows after a point bears no resemblance to that film. In fact, KNOCK OUT also bears an uncanny resemblance to A WEDNESDAY, although the two films are as diverse as chalk and cheese in terms of how the storyline progresses. KNOCK OUT is a thriller that keeps you hooked at regular intervals. The best thing about the film is that it remains focused to the plot and there are no deviations [thankfully!] in terms of songs, comedy or any other parallel track. Of course, there are hiccups, but the finale and the message it conveys camouflages the defects largely. Final word? If one goes with minimal expectations, chances are you may like this film.

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 Ratings:3/5 Reviewer:Nikhat Kazmi Site:TimesOfIndia 

Knock Out unfolds mostly in a closed frame, with all the action transpiring around the phone booth (that's the only similarity with the Hollywood thriller, Phone Booth). This works partially well for the film and does leave you fidgeting for more. However, both Irrfan and Sanjay Dutt play the cat and mouse game with chutzpah and invest a nervous energy in the proceedings. The first half of the film does take time to build up the drama, but once it does, there's no looking back. Director Mani Shankar scripts a thriller, which holds your attention and manages to make an important point: Weed out corruption and see where India soars....

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 Ratings:1.5/5 Reviewer:Patcy N Site:Rediff

Sadly, his new film Knock Out also fails to impress. The primary reason is that it is a copy of the Colin Farrell film Phone Booth, which was a terrific thriller. And secondly, the film's climax was not only unrealistic but also comical!Knock Out is not only a badly made film but it highlights the fact that there is a serious dearth of movie writers in India . While adapting the screen to the Indian palate, Mani Shankar has only made a mockery of the original script.Over all, Knock Out is just not worth a trip to the theatre.

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 Ratings:1.5/5 Reviewer:Anupama Chopra Site:NDTV

In Knock Out, writer-director Mani Shankar takes the 2003 thriller Phone Booth and marries it with a plot about getting back approximately Rs 60 lakh crore that corrupt politicians have siphoned out of India and stored in Swiss banks. If Mani Shankar had faithfully copied Phone Booth, we might have had a reasonably diverting thriller but his original additions, which echo the vigilante justice angle of A Wednesday, reduce Knock Out to a cartoon. That dialogue says it all. Check out Knock Out if you want to be knocked out.

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 Ratings:1/5 Reviewer:Komal Nahata Site:Koimoi

Mani Shankar’s story, set in real time, draws inspiration from the Hollywood film, Phone Booth. Since this (real-time film) is an alien concept for the average Indian film goer, its appeal, comprehension and acceptability will be far from universal. No doubt, the plot is quite interesting upto a point but yet, it leaves something to be desired in the minds of the masses especially. Since the film moves on a single track, tediousness sets in in the latter part of the film.

Also, the writer has tried to make the drama very all-encompassing by showing the common man exulting and rejoicing in the climax. But it is common knowledge that things are not as simple as they are shown to be in the climax of the film in the sense that the Indian public would never stand to benefit or gain in any case, whatever may have happened in the climax.

On the whole, Knock Out is a well-made thriller but it won’t do much at the box-office as it has limited appeal.

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 Ratings:2/5 Reviewer:Gaurav Malani Site:Indiatimes

One could have overlooked the inspirations and improbabilities had Mani Shankar’s hold on the thriller been gripping. Sadly the director fails to bind the audience with a taut narrative. And this despite the fact that the flow remains uninterrupted by any song, dance or comedy tracks. With almost the entire film stationed around the phone booth and the events unfolding in real time, the storytelling could have been focused. Rather it becomes one-dimensional and fails to generate the necessary tension between the lead characters though it had immense scope for it. The proceedings appear repetitive and senselessly stretched. With its single-setting, the film largely relies on its wordplay but Shiraz Ahmed’s dialogues are uninspiring and mediocre. Knock Out only beats around the booth and will leave you conked out. Enter at your own peril.

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