THE BUCKINGHAM MURDERS is a lacklustre murder mystery

The Buckingham Murders Review 2.0/5 & Review Rating

Director: Hansal Mehta

The Buckingham Murders Movie Review Synopsis:
THE BUCKINGHAM MURDERS is the story of a cop trying to solve a difficult case. Jaspreet Bhamra (Kareena Kapoor Khan), a cop, is grieving after her son was killed by a delinquent. She shifts from her town in the UK to High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire. She knows that she’ll be demoted from DI (Detective Inspector) to DS (Detective Sergeant). Yet, she takes it up as a means to deal with her trauma. Her senior at High Wycombe is DI Hardy aka Hardik Patel (Ash Tandon). On the day she joins, Jaspreet is asked to accompany Hardy on the case of a missing child, Ishpreet Kohli (Sartaaj Kakkar). His father, Daljeet Kohli (Ranveer Brar) and mother Preeti Kohli (Prabhleen Sandhu) inform the cops that their child was adopted. As per the CCTV footage, the child was last seen in the sprawling Totteridge Rye Park. The cops decide to extensively search the site. They finally find him dead in a car. The car belongs to Akram Khan (Farhan Baqi). He informs the cops that he had lent the car to his nephew, Saqib (Kapil Redekar). Saqib is arrested and refuses to cooperate with the police. Meanwhile, Daljeet and Saqib’s father Saleem have a past rivalry, and both confront each other. The matter gets worse, resulting in communal tensions. Jaspreet, meanwhile, feels that the case is not as simple as it’s made out to be. Hardy, however, is not interested in listening to her and admonishes her at every given opportunity. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

The Buckingham Murders Movie Story Review:
Aseem Arrora, Kashyap Kapoor and Raghav Raj Kakker’s story is decent and could have made for a great whodunit. Aseem Arrora, Kashyap Kapoor and Raghav Raj Kakker’s screenplay, however, is not tight and has loose ends. Aseem Arrora, Kashyap Kapoor and Raghav Raj Kakker’s dialogues are normal.

Hansal Mehta’s direction is not up to the mark, and one expects a lot from him since he has proved his worth. To give credit where it’s due, he establishes the setting, the case, the characters and the complexities nicely. The 1 hour 49 minutes long film keeps one engaged. There’s no dull moment while the suspense is also a shocker.

However, the way it unravels makes you feel like you are watching an episode of ‘CID’ or ‘Crime Patrol’. A few things are bewildering. It’s astonishing that Hardy is able to locate a car, but the other officers can’t, though they passionately search the park. There’s another aspect to the dead body being shifted and that’s also not convincing at all. Also, one can understand that there are no CCTV cameras in the park. But the cameras are present outside the park. Yet, the cops never are able to understand who escaped from the park after committing the murder. Lastly, the communal tension angle doesn’t have much to contribute after a point.

The Buckingham Murders | Official Trailer | Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ektaa R Kapoor, Hansal Mehta

The Buckingham Murders Movie Review Performances:
Speaking of performances, Kareena Kapoor Khan delivers a fine performance. She underplays it beautifully though she has a couple of massy scenes. Ranveer Brar shines. Prabhleen Sandhu is quite good, especially in the second half. Ash Tandon is decent and his actions in the second half are questionable. Kapil Redekar leaves a huge mark. Keith Allen (Miller; Jaspreet’s senior) and Adwoa Akoto (DC Sharon Marks) are lovely. Sarah Jane Dias (Indrani) is fair in a cameo; she should have had more to do. The other actors who do well are Sartaaj Kakkar, Darren Kemp (Detective Simon), Rukku Nagar (Harleen; liaison officer), Rahul Sidhu (Naved), Assad Raja (Salim), Ruchika Jain (Muneera; Saqib’s mother), Haider Javed (Syringe) and Manish Gandhi (Prithvi).

The Buckingham Murders music and other technical aspects:
‘Saada Pyaar’ is hardly there and is forgettable. The same goes for ‘Halki Khanak Si’. Ketan Sodha and Night Song Records’ background score is catchy and well-woven into the narrative. Emma Dalesman’s cinematography is great. The DOP focuses on the characters rather than the locales. May Davies’s production design is realistic. Charlie Knight’s costumes are non-glamorous. Amitesh Mukherjee’s editing is sharp.

The Buckingham Murders Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, THE BUCKINGHAM MURDERS is a lacklustre murder mystery. At the box office, it will face a tough time due to limited buzz and a surprise strong competition from the re-release of TUMBBAD.