Kennedy Review: A Shady and Uninteresting Take On Corruption and The System

RATING – ⭐ ⭐ 2/5*

Kennedy Review MovieTalkies:

Rahul Bhat and Anurag Kashyap reunite after Ugly and Dobaara. The former was a gripping, realistic thriller, while the latter felt like a rather banal remake that lacked soul. Unfortunately, their third outing, Kennedy, does not improve things. It turns out to be a dull experience that lacks the substance required to hold your attention for over two hours. Kashyap’s trademark hard-hitting realism — the kind we saw in Ugly and Black Friday — seems to be fading. In Kennedy, that sharp, unsettling edge is missing, and that’s precisely where the film begins to lose its grip.

Kennedy Story:

The film follows the story of an ex-cop, Shetty (Rahul Bhat), who was suspended long ago and now secretly works as a hitman for the police. He operates in the shadows, officially dead, even to his wife and daughter, with no trace of him in police records. His previous encounter with gangster Saleem (Aamir Dalvi) and actress Gunjan Arora (Karishma Modi) dragged him into serious trouble, altering his life completely. To eliminate Saleem, Shetty commits several murders, but things spiral out of control as he himself becomes a target — not only for criminals but also for the very system he once served. His own associates turn against him. Then there’s Charlie (Sunny Leone), a woman seeking his help, who ultimately finds herself in danger because of her connection to him. The central question remains: will Shetty be able to handle all these threats, or is he walking toward inevitable destruction?

With a runtime of about 145 minutes, Kennedy has a few engaging moments scattered throughout, but it is mostly a slow burner — and not in a consistently rewarding way. The narrative feels messy at times, making it difficult to stay invested in the characters. Some characters don’t seem to fit organically into the storyline and appear unnecessary. Charlie’s character, for instance, feels underdeveloped and behaves childishly in several scenes, which weakens her presence in the narrative. Rasheed’s character too comes with noticeable flaws in writing. The first half largely falls flat, lacking urgency or emotional pull. The screenplay does pick up some pace in the second half, offering slightly better engagement. However, the finale is predictable and fails to generate genuine tension or emotional impact. Kashyap’s writing seems to struggle here; it doesn’t bring anything particularly fresh or intriguing to the table.

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Kennedy Cast:

That said, the performances are fairly decent. Rahul Bhat gets the deadliest role of his career. He carries the brooding, damaged persona convincingly, though his voice sounds dubbed and not entirely natural. Sunny Leone comes across as somewhat annoying, mainly due to how her character is written. Karishma Modi has very little to do, leaving minimal impact. Megha Burman performs decently in her limited role. Aamir Dalvi looks convincing in his small but important part. Mohit Takalkar and Shrikant Yadav stand out with impressive performances. Abhilash Thapliyal appears in a mysterious role and does a fine job. The supporting cast, overall, performs well within the boundaries of the script.

Kennedy Move Review:

Technically, the film has its flaws. The background score feels dull and doesn’t elevate the drama when needed. The production design is excessively dark, which matches the tone but at times becomes visually turing. While the framework attempts to create layers and complexity, it feels dated rather than innovative. Perhaps we are at a stage where such treatment doesn’t excite us the way it once did. The editing struggles to maintain momentum in the first half but improves slightly later on. Still, the film could easily have been trimmed by at least 15 minutes to make it tighter and more effective.

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The dialogues are casual and reflect real-life conversations, which is typical of Kashyap’s style. The use of abusive language is nothing new in his films — in fact, it almost feels mandatory in his storytelling universe. However, strong language alone cannot compensate for a weak narrative foundation. Kashyap attempts to weave in subtle remarks about politics, corruption, industrialists, and the system that protects the powerful. While these themes had the potential to add depth, they remain underexplored and fail to leave a lasting impact. In the end, Kennedy feels soulless despite its ambition. It tries to be gritty and layered but lacks the emotional core and narrative sharpness that once defined Anurag Kashyap’s best works. There are flashes of intensity, but they are too few to make the overall experience memorable. As a cinematic package, it feels incomplete and uninspiring. In one word: Skippable.

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