blog by Gaurav Rhyme

Thursday, February 16, 2012

THE GHOST WRITER


THE GHOST WRITER, This is one of the best modern political thriller I've came across in very long time. I mean it's one of those movies which leaves a lasting impression on you, as it has done with me. And though I was bit distracted by a phone call at the climax time, I so wanted to get back to finish it in one gulp, like a period wine, or just like those thick pacy thriller-spy novels which finds their place in the dusty dark corners of the library racks, away from the limelight of popular ones. Even the nature of story fits into this theme, a story about a writer who has to write as somebody else for money under deep surveillance & confidentiality.

Roman Polanski- The Director is a noted celebrity Director who has made movies like The Pianist, Oliver Twist, The Ninth Gate. I personally feel that he is not just obsessive about cinema, but he seems to be an avid reader also, it shows in his choice of subjects and movies. This Polanski's thriller is a must-watch for thriller-hungry seekers. I can easily compare the background score, screenplay and narration's intensity to the likes of 1965 Michael Caine-starrer, The Ipcress File or Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan espionage adventures. The movie have some allusions, starting from Adam Lang character inspired from Tony Blair, and other charachters inspired namely from the late Mr Robin Cook, former foreign Secretary to Tony Blair and Condoleeza Rice, United States Secretary of State. It faced criticism over these linkages, but how true the presentation of known facts is, you can't deny a bit. Yes, it tries to interpret the dark valleys of American-British alliance in their foreign policies.


It's a story about an unnamed ghost writer (Ewan McGregor) who gets hired on a new job of ghostwriting a memoir of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan). The job was to complete the half-done job left by his predecessor Mike McAra, a ghost-writer & great loyal of Adam Lang. Initially he was a bit reluctant to do it, after he gone through a rough mugging incident the day he gets a manuscript copy from the Publishing house. But then his agent-cum-friend Rick Ricardelli, who aligned him for this job, convinced him to go for the job on account of fat earnings from this. The Publishing company advanced Adam Lang about $10 million for his memoirs, and the ghost writer was set to make $2,50,000 for the job. So he willingly grasp the job even though he states to publisher that no body reads the Political memoirs including him.


Now he is flied to an oceanfront island estate in fictional American village Old Haven, where former Prime Minister Adam Lang was staying with his wife Ruth (Olivia Williams), his personal assistant-cum-mistress Amelia Bly (Kim Cattrall), along with the staff of servants and security personnel. Well, Pierce Brosnan looks as stunning as he always looks in his Bond movies. His charisma was matching his charachter & persona as Lang too. Now, here the film starts getting interesting with all the ingredients of suspense & obscurity. Initially the ghost writer has to stay at the deserted hotel in the island where he could not take down the original manuscript of the memoir. But he do conduct some sessions with Mr Lang to gauge into his earlier Cambridge life and his motivations to enter into the politics. Then he also meet some strange person in hotel bar who try to find his link with Mr Lang. But he maintained the distance with such distractions and tried to focus on the writing of a mammoth memoir he has to do in such a short notice. The timeline to finish the memoir also got curtailed to two weeks by the publisher office as they had some deadlines to met. On the other side of the world, Mr Richard Rycart, the former British foreign Secretary raised some serious allegations upon Mr Adam Lang for orchestrating illegal seizure of some suspected terrorists and handing them over to CIA for deadly torture, a possible war crime. Lang faced a threat of getting prosecuted by International Criminal Court, unless he stays in USA or goes to the country which doesn't follow this jurisdiction. 

The Lang controversy brought herds of media people to the island along with protesting public all over the place. In the wake of the media storm, the ghost writer was shifted to the Lang residence for further stay to avoid media interventions. In a planned PR move, Lang with his assistant flew to Washington to meet top US official to show everything is normal. Back in the island, ghost writer had been shifted to Mike McAra's room, where he found an envelope, inside which the secretly hidden belongings of McAra was placed. There was a clear trail of Adam Lang's Cambridge linkages with some Paul Emmett in form of some old pictures and newspaper cuttings. The ghost writer became suspicious of Lang as he told him during his one of the briefings that a clueless young Lang was motivated to enter into the politics due to Ruth, his wife. But, a newspaper cutting showed that he joined the party 2 years before he met Ruth. Ghost writer thought that his predecessor might have stumbled into a dark secret related to Lang. He also find one strange phone number written behind one of the photograph, the call connected to Richard Rycart. He disconnected, and didn't picked the phone when Rycart called him back numerous times.


 He took one bicycle from the residence and ventured into the other part of island to find the truth about McAra's death. He found out from one old man that there was something very mischievous about McAra's death. His knowledge of sea currents propelled him to doubt the place, a beach where the McAra's body was found after disappearing from the ferry, and he said that his neighbor has saw some flashlights in sea that day. After that she went into coma afterwards, falling from her stairs. On his ride back, he was intercepted by Ruth & her security guard who were in a look out to find him. Inside the car, Ruth acted strangely towards the ghost writer, clutching his hands in the car, he didn't protested thinking that she is feeling down after being neglected & abandon by Lang. He shared the findings from the island with Ruth on dinner. She said that McAra had a row with Lang before he left in a ferry and died. Then while weeping she uttered, " In what problem my husband has thrown himself ". She left to clear his head in the raining weather. Then she came back in midnight all wet, waking the ghost writer from his sleep. Then she slept with the writer that night.

                         

In the morning, writer felt that he's becoming too involved with his subject and he left for the hotel. he picked a guest car from outside whose GPS was programmed by McAra on his last ride probably. He tried to follow the route to the hotel, but end up obeying the programmed car to the different route altogether, in far away Belmont estate off the island. It was the home of Mr Paul Emmett. Initially reluctant Emmett allowed him to enter after he insisted that he has some photographs of Emmett with Lang. In their brief encounter, Emmett maintained his stance that he had a  brief acquaintance with Adam Lang during some stage performances. And that the wall photograph of him with Lang was a kind gesture by Lang to bless the Arcadia committee formed by Emmett. During their whole conversation, Emmett's wife was constantly talking to a third person on phone, describing about the ghost writer. 

                         

During his way back to island, he was followed by stranger car, but he escaped, and reached the ferry. But he found the same car persons in look out for him in ferry, he jumped back from the ferry misguiding them and then stayed at the motel near the docks. There in fear, he dialed the Rycart's number, and he asked him to stay where he was. Meanwhile, the writer did Google search for Lang & Paul Emmett connection, and found out that Emmett had been working for CIA as late as 1971 when he graduated from Yale University, the very same period when Lang decided to join the politics. Also he found out that apart from being Pulitzer-prize winning author & geopolitical affairs expert, Professor Emmett was connected to the military contractor Hatherton group through the Arcadia think tank.  Rycart visited the motel with his men, and took him to his place, where ghost writer told everything he found about the Adam Lang. Rycart inferred that now the dots are connected, and he understood that Lang was acting as a pawn of CIA, and that's why Britain every decision were taken in favor of the United States. There writer also got to know that McAra gave him the information about Lang for his torture allegations. He told him that McAra didn't shared too much on phone, and he hinted that everything is there in the beginning of the manuscript. And finally he was murdered on his way back in ferry. Ghost writer received the call from Amelia Bly, the assistant of lang, finding his whereabouts. He was not willing to go back to the Wolf's den.

 But Rycart asked him to go back in order to avoid any suspicion from lang's office. Lang came with his private jet to take him back to the island to complete the memoir work which was disturbed during the chaos. In the flight back, ghost writer told him everything he found about him on his insistence. Adam Lang was surprised & at the same time shocked to hear about McAra involvement and the negative claims of writer about himself. He shouted that he had always followed his mind, and in no way connected to CIA or terror thing. Infact, he would like to have two queues on airports. One with all the check and security, an one without all that, he pose a question to Rycarts of the world, which queue they'd like to sent their kids into. Writer felt convinced by his remarks and his intent, but it was too late, as when they landed, Lang was assassinated by British anti-war protester who lost his son in Iraq war. In return, Lang's men shot him down. Writer was taken as a prime witness by US authorities, and his passport was taken so that he'd to stay and can provide information.

                         

Back in London, during the book launch party, Amelia tells him by accident that the order of manuscript not accessed by all people came from Americans, as the beginnings contained a threat to national security. There in the party he also saw Ruth with Paul Emmett. He asked Amelia about his presence in the party and she replied that he was Ruth's tutor when she was Fulbright scholar. He then realizes that the truth was laid in the beginning of each chapter of manuscript. And he connected the first word of every chapter, It comes out as a stark ling fact to him: "Lang's wife Ruth was recruited as a CIA Agent by Paul Emmett of Harvard University. " Ruth has shaped every Lang's decision to favor United States, as per the guidelines from CIA.

The writer pass on a note to Ruth in the gathering about the same, and then raise a toast like gesturing her that he knows the truth now. He then left from the party as she started chasing him. In the end, when he was crossing the road off-camera holding original manuscript in his hands, a car accelerates towards his direction. And then papers of the manuscripts came back flying as the sound of car-hitting him is heard by the passerby who gathered and ran in that direction.

And the mysterious soundtrack continues, with the manuscript papers flying all over the place.

Monday, February 13, 2012

I SHOT MY WIFE. PROVE IT !


This is a sensational thriller packed with all the chills Sir Anthony Hopkins-flick can guarantees. If you have saw the famous Dr Hannibal Lecter series of movies, you can identify with me on that. His charismatic expressions and gestures can haunt if he want, even the dead in the grave. The story starts with an aeronautical engineer Theodore Crawford (Anthony Hopkins) finding her wife Jennifer (Embeth Davidtz) cheating on him. He was constantly following her with her secret lover. She was having an Affair with Detective Robert Nunally (Billy Burke). He shared the revelation with his wife before killing her point blank seriously hurting her head. After that he fired three more bullets on the window to warn the passerby near the house. When they contacted police, detective Nunally came to the scene of crime with his men. Crawford asked him to come alone inside. And then they put their respective gun down. Crawford was in a state of eerie calmness while he was describing what he has done. Detective Nunally went numbed to see his darling covered in blood. He lingered over her body to revive the deathly stillness of her. Then he took Crawford into custody while transporting breathing Jennifer to hospital. She went into coma.


Ted Crawford has already confessed his crime to police. Four bullets were fired, One pistol was captured with convict on the scene of crime. All these facts made this an open-and-shut case for the rising star deputy district attorney Willy Beachum (Ryan Gosling). He was busy these days in the transition from criminal law to corporate attorney in Wooton & Sims, a well-known high-paying firm. Initially he was reluctant to take this case, but after seeing the nature of the same he agreed. He was sure, the case will be fast and easy, he'll gonna win, his conviction rate was 97%, and this case would be another feather in his cap before he leave for the Wooton & Simms. Meanwhile, He also developed a romantic relationship with his future boss, Nikki Gardener ( Rosamund Pike). Gosh ! How lucky he was to have Rosamund Pike as her boss.


In the trial, Crawford requested to be his own attorney, even after constant effort by Judge & District attorney Beachum to take the help of professional. But Crawford remained adamant on being his own attorney and why not ? His nasty legal wits inside the courtroom were the soul of the plot. The first blow to district attorney Beachum came in form of supposedly Layman terminology used by Crawford to nullify the confession as an evidence for the case. He smartly uttered to Judge " What do you say....in legal terminologies..fucking the victim.." So as per the Crawford, as Detective Nunally was having a affair with her wife, and assaulted him during the arrest, and was present with his officer friends during the confession. So Crawford's confession ruled out as an evidence as it bear the fruit of poisonous tree a/c to Judge. The second blow to attorney Beachum came in form of the another supposedly crucial evidence of the case- the murder weapon. Police found out that Crawford's gun has never been fired and is not been used in the murder at all, as the shell casings wasn't matching to the crime scene. Beachum repeatedly sent cops to look out for the handgun in every corner of the house. As per the reports, during and after the murder, people have surrounded the house and nobody saw anybody coming out of the house, so gun should have to be in Crawford's home. But to the amazement of everyone, even after tearing everything apart they didn't find any gun in the house, like Beachum rightly joked about gun having grown legs and ran away itself. 



Detective Nunally tempted Beachum to plant a false evidence (gun) as they knew Crawford has done it. But Beachum refused, Infact when Crawford put forward the motion of acquittal on account of no evidence against him, Beachum got tempted to use the false evidence but he decided to forbid that at the very last minute, and Crawford was acquitted. The disgraced Nunally shot himself right outside the courtroom with his own gun. Beachum lost the case for which he destroyed his chances in the prestigious firm along with his relationship with Nikki Gardener. Plus, his own firm boss has already told him that after all this, he can't take chances taking him back, as that would raise many eyebrows. But Beachum was not at all worried about any of these things, he was obsessively searching out for the unconnected dots of the case. He wanted an answer, an explanation, and he repeatedly visited comatose Jennifer in hope of seeing her wake up and answering him. But sooner on Crawford's plea, a restraining order is issued forbidding Beachum to visit the patient. But when Crawford shared his thoughts about unplugging the electronic device to end the life of the only eyewitness of the crime, Jennifer. Beachum goes on a great length to take a court order to put Jennifer on life support, but to fail, as Crawford succeeded in whitewashing the last evidence.

                                         

So Crawford was having an upper hand till now. But two things happened which helped Beachum in nailing down him. First, when he was leaving the city, his old Boss consoled him that technically, he didn't let him get away with the murder of his wife, But he let him get away with an attempt to murder. Second thing, when  Beachum was reading the case related files in police station, his phone get switched with the cop, and that's it. Whole story unfolds, he noticed, even though quite late that, Crawford has switched his gun in hotel with Nunally's gun when Nunally met Jennifer secretly. He shot Jennifer with Nunally's gun. And then he reloaded the gun and exchange it again when Nunally visited the crime scene, particularly when Nunally was lingering over her body. Detective put the murder weapon in his holster unknowingly. In his own words, Crawford described the plan as simply BEAUTIFUL, as Nunally sat with the murder weapon in the court room all trial long, and finally ended his life also with the same weapon without noticing that he already had what he's searching all over the world. He didn't care to notice the facts.


Crawford use to brag about his eye to detail, to see fractures in every egg, his stand that if you'll focus you can find fracture or weak point in everybody like he found that Winning is the weak point of district attorney Beachum. But his eye to detail seriously hampered in judging the nitty-gritties of the Double Jeopardy clause. Yes, his only mistake in the whole game-plan. He confessed everything to Beachum thinking he was applicable to Double Jeopardy clause, a procedural defence that forbids the defendant from being tried again on the same charges for which he's acquitted. But Beachum pointed out that last trial was for attempt-to-murder, but now after the death of Jennifer, he can be prosecuted with fresh murder charges. He flaunted that after her death, police can retrieved the bullet inside her head, and he'll be behind the bars. Before taking exit from Crawford's door, where several cops were waiting for them. Beachum said to him, if he had not taken Jennifer out of life support, he could have been protected by Double Jeopardy clause. 

Beachum sarcastically quoted.
"Why you need to pull that plug huh, According to Doctors, she would have outlived us !"

In the end, the fresh trial started against Crawford, where he was shown surrounded by defence attorneys of Wooton & Sims.

'All Rise!' Beachum pointed towards Crawford to adjust his tie as the proceedings initiated.

Friday, February 10, 2012

DEEWAAR - I'LL DIE FOR MY MAMA !


Deewaar, a movie who was an inspiration behind popularly known Slumdog Millionaire, Two brothers story. One running behind wealth, other honest and truthful. Infact Danny Boyle, the director of Slumdog, said that Deewaar is the absolutely key to Indian Cinema. And a movie with the same old formula of rags-to-riches though triumphed in the recession-prone western globe. But this Yash Copra-directed movie was a bigger and more deeper movie than the Slumdog any day. 

 

Deewaar is lesser the duel between two brothers, but it's more about the mother-son relationship and the clash of the practicality & idealism. And when it was released in overseas, it bear the title 'I'll Die for My Mama', which clearly justified the intent of this artwork, though a bit far-fetched and obscure for western audience. It was a phenomenal ground-breaking movie. It was way ahead of its time with superb and intense acting by one & all. And apart from script, the screenplay & dialogue were impeccable. No doubt Salim-Javed raised the value of script-writer at that period. Infact they were paid as high as the film heroes in their coming ventures.



Movie starts in a flashback. Two brothers, Vijay(Amitabh Bachchan) & Ravi Verma(Shashi Kapoor) had a tough and testing childhood. Their father who was a trade unionist got betrayed by the management of firm, and had to runaway from the infamous workers deal he was compelled to sign due to the blackmailing of  corrupt businessman, who threatens to kill his family. He left his home due to shame after saving his family. But his acts became a deep wound in the heart of little Vijay when some angry workers who branded Vijay arms with words "My Father is a Thief". The family had to struggle on the streets of Mumbai afterwards. His wife has to do labor work under the lusty and exploited eyes of skyscrapers. Vijay use to counter not just every abuse against her mother, but he toiled hard to make his brother Ravi schooling done. He started as shoe-polishing young boy with a great self-pride. Who can forget the popular scene "Mai Phenke Hue Paise nahi uthata"(I don't pick thrown money). As they grew up, Vijay started working on ship dockyard and Ravi became a jobless well-qualified young man. Both of the brother faced different realities, they read different books of life. While Ravi school books taught him truth & idealism, Vijay's life-book was about the mad race to survive, it was about survival of fittest. And he gain power & rose to become the smuggler king-pin Dhabar Seth right-hand. Infact, he gain full hold of gang with his clever trickster-ship with Samant gang. He escaped death several times due to his dockyard days badge 786. 



Two epic scenes in his rising days were, one when he accept the offer of Dhabar Seth imagining his mother hardships, and the other when Dhabar Seth introduced childhood polisher truth to Jaichand. But then Ravi became Police inspector and Vijay forehead got more tenser lines. And finally the brother duel of truth-false, ethical-unethical started. The power of raising weapon against his own brother seems inspired from Geeta, Ravi felt helpless like Arjuna who has to fight his brothers. But he got the wisdom in form of a poor school teacher whose child got hurt from his bullet. He decided to take the case of Vijay Verma & Dhabar Seth. The popular signature scene still holds large eye-attention in different stage & stand up acts till date. Ravi left the Vijay's home with his mother. Vijay became alone and find solace in arms of Anita (Parveen Babi), a dancer he met in a bar. Ravi Verma became an intelligent and arduous police officer, and once he caught hold of 7-8 men of Dhabar with all consignment. And then Vijay's gang member demanded Ravi Verma's death, unknowingly pinching Vijay's brotherly heart. Vijay tried to convince Ravi to take transfer from the city with yet another iconic scene " Mere Paas Maa Hai", probably one of the most classy scene in history of Indian cinema. Vijay was misunderstood by every dear & near one except Anita. As Anita rightly described, Vijay was feeling down. First his brother left him, his mother got angry on him, his father found dead, and then his mother also get hospitalised which made him enter into his No-Go zone -Temple. He was about to abandon underworld & marry the pregnant Anita, when she got killed by Samant. Vijay took revenge from Samant and his people. 


One of the other iconic scene of the movie was beautifully shot temple scene. "Aaj Khush to bahut hoge tum" is remembered by one & all. After the final clash between the brothers, Vijay breath his last in his mother lap asking for forgiveness, while Ravi get awarded for pursuing justice. But the mere essence of the movie is the intense love for mother. Vijay did everything for his mother. He chose the wrong path but to make his mother and family happy. And he finally died for his mother. One scene in particular, which gives me goose-bumps every time I watch it, when Vijay bought the building as a gift for her mother, where she had once lifted bricks. Mother played an integral part in Salim-Javed written scripts. And Amitabh Bachchan established himself as the angry-young man of bollywood after this 70s blockbuster. The movie sweeps Six Filmfare awards except just one, Best Actor in Leading Role for which Amitabh was nominated. Surprisingly, his critically acclaimed role was left un-awarded while everybody attached with this film won numerous awards.
This movie can really move anyone who is as attached to his mother as Vijay, I felt his pain, his struggles, his fight for- not right or wrong, but just one thing- MAA ! 

Sunday, February 5, 2012

SPIRITUAL ADIEU TO FAME & STARDOM- VINOD KHANNA

Recently we've been surrounded by the several creative works imbibed with the cults of 70s & 80s, trend started from Om Shanti Om, Action Replay till Dirty Picture, to name the few. We've also witnessed the avalanche of remakes one after another, some inspiration, dedication and some tribulations (Like Aag) as well. But there has been a common unsaid creative pact made within the film making fraternity, to inject a feel of retro, whether in the scripts, locations, actors, styles of yesteryears art of celluloid. Its a common phenomenon these days.


Within these Cult-books of 70s era, Vinod Khanna was a chapter which is one of the most popular & the most incomplete chapter. His some of the popular recent mention in the cinema being- Abhay Deol character in 'Oye Lucky Lucky Oye' who use to flaunt himself in Vinod Khanna style, even the film starts with Vinod Khanna song, 'Chahiye Thoda Pyaar..Thoda Pyar Chahiye' (Movie: Lahu Ke Do Rang). Apart from that, I like the recent trailer of much-awaited Saif thriller, Agent Vinod, in which to hide his identity he call himself as Vinod....Vinod Khanna.


This is a well-known fact that he was the most stylish superstar of that era, and probably the only one to give neck-to-neck competition to the Ruler of 70s, Amitabh Bachchan. Some even says that he had literally overtook Amitabh in every sense when he suddenly took the retirement from the films and bollywood at the peak of his career. He became a strict follower of spiritual leader Rajaneesh (OSHO) and left the industry in form of self-imposed exile to live in Rajaneeshpuram city in Antelope, Oregon area of America. And thus, after Rajesh Khanna's end of stardom, the only threat for the numero uno status to Amitabh lost forever in the garb of spiritual inclinations.


And Vinod Khanna not just gambled his career, but even his family & friends on his way to experience the spiritual transformation and quest of inner peace. Infact, nobody knew what he did in his 8 years of time spent in Rajaneeshpuram City. Then he returned after a decade to join the bollywood again, and started his second inning, while his marriage was on the rocks until his divorce. Then he got married again 1990 & then further became an MP in late 90s. But his charisma, charm & tough exterior always won the hearts of the audience. Even though he had many self-imposed exiles on himself, but he maintained his royal-ness and turned more spiritual & intellectual personally, as shown by him in various interviews. He's now serving as MP of Gurdaspur constituency. He was always called as an elusive star with a rebel attitude, he always followed what he believed in, once he made up his mind it was hard to refrain him from doing it.


I can relate with his inclinations of exile as even I had once made my mind to have this experience of peace and self-introduction, though I was comparitively young and not even a successful superstar. And I got counseled by my annoyed friends & colleagues about the futility of that action on my own life and my family. I myself gave it a thought and found it quite amateurish in nature. I found that inner salvation can be experienced by doing one's Karma in the most genuine way and by following one's duties towards Self, family & society. Though I'm still in this diverged pathways, analyzing my path between the two. I found my father remarks so useful, that First show that you can gain, then express your desire to renounce. When there is nothing what you have attained in life, nothing you've enjoyed, How you can feel the pain or joy of losing it for spiritual or delusion sake. I liked the idea, and it helped me a lot. Even in my doing MBA & later job, as I at least proved my family, my father in particular, that I have some capability.


But coming back to Vinod Khanna, I would have wished he must have continued his career, the heights of oneness and peace can be attained in your chosen trade too, like A.R Rehman, I think he always connect to the one while composing or producing music. Same way I feel for Tendulkar in cricket. So achieving the oneness in Karma can be a better notion then exile. But god knows what was best for him. As post-emergency quality of cinema hindered seriously when films sole motive became gaining money whether by vulgarity, plagriasm or some household daily-soaps type movies for VCR generation. And later after his exile he too joined that third class cinema bandwagon saying NO to his guru Rajaneesh for handling Pune Ashram of OSHO.

But anyways Salute to his courage & conviction of sacrificing his all for his purpose & vision. That was surely not for publicity sake like many others. He had paid a great price for that decision both personally & professionally. He might have actually became the Superstar of the millennium instead of Mr Big B, But who knows if that would have mattered to him or his inner peace eventually. He would always be remembered as a great actor & star of bollywood despite all the drama underlying his life story.


Thursday, February 2, 2012

AGNEEPATH ! AGNEEPATH ! AGNEEPATH !


Say Hello to my little friend ! Tony Montana !

No, I don't mean that Agneepath was a copy of Al Pacino's Scarface at all. But yes, one do tend to compare the style and mannerism of both iconic stars Al Pacino & Amitabh. In fact Scarface is one hell of gangsta movie which started a trend which continues since its release to the launch of GTA Vice City game. No Scarface, No Agneepath, No GTA Vice City. But hey, you must be thinking, why I'm talking about Old Agneepath, when new remake has broken all record in collections whether domestic or Overseas. But unfortunately I didn't felt connected with new one, It was a nice effort, nice tribute. That's it !

No I'm not discarding the new one completely, I liked the picturization of Harivansh Rai Bachchan poem in movie both times, when Vijay father is reciting it to him, and when Vijay is reciting the same to Kancha Cheena while killing him.

So, in short, I just Like the poem in the new one, nothing else!

The new one didn't enticed me enough to grab the retention plot of my memory even though I watched it recently. The old one even with some imperfections, were able enough to grab the mind space of mine.

Like thousands other people, even I still remember the old movie Vijay Deenanath Chauhan Introduction in police station, and many other scenes. The new one was flooded with fresh faces and fresh make-up, but no soul. Still I would say It was better than some of the other crappy remakes. 

But why they do not think logically while scripting remakes or presenting old wine in new bottle.

In the old one Vijay character was larger than life, this time antagonist Kancha & newly-included Rauf Lala were portrayed in larger than life manner. 

Name Kancha Cheena & character suited Danny more than Sanjay Dutt, no guesses on that.

Apart from get-up & look, Sanjay had little to experiment with Kancha, but he did a decent job in spite of some exaggeration here and there. His toying with Gita shlokas and demonly wisdom was good though.But that was the character fault, he was no more human like old movie Kancha Cheena, now he was demon. 

A/c to me, Background score plays a vital role in fueling the scenes, and old Agneepath background score was just AWESOME. Even though it was lifted from Jean Michel Jarre - Second Rendez-Vous (Part II), Type the same in YouTube and see for yourself. But I dont care from where it came from, but was suiting Amitabh sequences & style so well. 

The Old one was tribute to Harivansh Rai Bachchan poem, the new one was tribute to old Agneepath, but no Agneepath can be dreamt without the iconic poem itself. I've fallen in love with the poem so precise, so short and so deep in meaning. Hats off to Mr Harivansh Rai, he was my second best Hindi poet after Ram Dhari Singh Dinkar. This post cannot end without the mere essence of the movie - Path of Fire, the poem:-

Vriksh ho bhale khade
Ho Ghane Ho badhe
Ek Patra Chhao bhi 
Mang Mat Mang Mat Mang Mat !
Agneepath ! Agneepath ! Agneepath !

Tu Naa Thakega kabhi
Tu Naa Thamega kabhi
Tu Naa Mudega kabhi
Kar Shapath Kar Shapath Kar Shapath
Agneepath ! Agneepath ! Agneepath !

Yeh Mahaan Drishya Hai 
Chal Raha Manushya hai
Ashru Sved Rakt se 
Lath Path Lath Path Lath Path
Agneepath ! Agneepath ! Agneepath !

So, A/c to me, this poem will always be classier than both the Agneepath movies.