A former secret agent who comes back from leading a low-key life and surges back with renewed zeal to counter dangerous criminals and rescue the innocent is a story that has found many takers in countless movies. Thus, Sonu Sood’s directorial debut Fateh, in which he stars as the protagonist and which is also written by him, does not cover any new ground in terms of its plotline. Its point of interest only emanates from the fact that it is an out-and-out action film and will appeal to those who love thrilling sequences with non-stop fights, explosions and other forms of adrenaline-pumping action.

Starring Sonu himself in the titular role, Fateh was always going to be an action film. And sure enough, you get it from the word go, with almost every frame having violence with a capital ‘V’ written all over it. A professional killer who has successfully executed classified and dangerous missions for the country abroad, he can kill with every conceivable modern weapon, and can improvise ordinary objects into weapons of destruction and death with effortless ease, using his bare hands to accomplish the task when push comes to shove. So when Nimrat, a young girl who is his neighbour in the village where he now lives, goes missing in Delhi, it is time for him to get back into action mode.

Thus begins the crusade against the cybercrime mafia, which is what the film is all about, or rather, was meant to be. Starting off well by showing how their network operates and who the crime lords are, Fateh however loses direction midway and fails to hold on to or consistently explore the potential of the main narrative. Instead of addressing the issue of cybercrime as a whole and the devastation it can cause in the private lives of citizens, it merely focuses on the manner in which gullible people with little or no knowledge of online predators, become victims of financial scams, most often with dire consequences. Though teams of rogue techies doing the dirty work for their criminal bosses and ethical hackers who try to outsmart their evil counterparts are both shown engaged in a lot of high-tech hacking, with information and funds transfer or blocking, it does seem strange that the authorities are nowhere to be seen taking stock of the serious crimes being committed in the public domain. Dibyendu Bhattacharya’s role as a corrupt police officer also seemed unnecessary and predictable.

Armed with an international action crew and some great music, notably Arijit Singh’s Fateh kar fateh and a powerful background score, partly scored by Oscar winner Hans Zimmer, the film could have offered a more holistic experience. What it finally boils down to is a personal, bloody conflict between Fateh and Reza and Satyaprakash, the two devilish crime bosses and their army of goons. Portrayed by Naseeruddin Shah and Vijay Raaz respectively, the film gains in both depth and dimension from their performances, that attain perfect villainous pitch. Powerful and memorable dialogues, delivered in a terse, deep, didactic or deadpan manner, also heighten the experience in scenes where Fateh and his opponents stand face-to-face.

Jacqueliene Fernandez as Khushi Sharma, one among the group of ethical hackers, adds some glamour to the film, but her contribution to the plot is sketchy, to say the least. Though the story tries its best to fill the missing links with realistic back stories, one does not really have the patience or opportunity to look for reason or logic with a lengthy fight sequence thrown in every few minutes. Some of the action appears so forced and unconvincing that when the final shot has been fired and Honey Singh’s Hitman starts playing, it is cue for most among the audience to escape the theatre and embrace reality.