The Buckingham Murders

The Buckingham Murders Movie Review Rating:

Star Cast: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Brar, Ash Tandon, Kapil Redekar, Prabhleen Sandhu, Keith Allen, Assad Raja, Manish Gandhi

Director: Hansal Mehta

What’s Good: Kareena Kapoor Khan’s intense performance, gripping plot, no meandering from the main storyline with irrelevant sub-plots

What’s Bad: The plot falls prey to predictability towards the climax, not enough character development of some supporting characters, and the investigation at focus could have been portrayed more nuanced.

Loo Break: We wouldn’t suggest it since it’s a riveting whodunnit story

Watch or Not?: Yes, definitely, especially for all the Kareena Kapoor Khan fans out there.

Language: Hindi/English

Available On: Theatrical Release

Runtime: 107 minutes

User Rating:

Jasmeet Bhamra, aka Jass (Kareena Kapoor Khan), is a police officer who is battling excessive trauma and anxiety after her child is murdered by a psychopath in an arcade shooting. Even though the perpetrator is arrested, she cannot cope with her grave loss. Things get further tricky for her when she’s handed over the case of a missing child in Buckinghamshire’s High Wycombe area who is later found to be dead. The region is already cluttered with a religious conflict, and further chaos ensues when a Muslim suspect is arrested in the case. Even though the case appears to be solved on the surface, Jass is convinced that more skeletons are in the closet. She’s on a quest to unravel the truth while grappling with her inner demons.

The Buckingham Murders Movie Review: Script Analysis

Director Hansal Mehta doesn’t waste time in creating the grim and macabre setting for The Buckingham Murders. Right from Kareena Kapoor Khan’s Jass getting flashbacks of her life’s tragedy to the riveting crime scene which unfolds many suspects, each with their dark secrets. The story by Aseem Arrora uses several backdrops to create an intriguing and disturbing tone as the murder investigation begins. Right from religious conflicts, a loveless marriage, deep-rooted misogyny, drug addiction amongst the youth, loss of a child, and inability to cope with one’s loss. One of the main highlights of the movie is that it doesn’t waste time in any meandering sub-plots and keeps a steady pace.

However, the screenplay falters in the second half of The Buckingham Murders as it inches closer to the climax. While the murder investigation could have been shown in a more nuanced manner, the plot also falls prey to some predictability. Better character development and writing for the supporting star cast would have also acted as a good catalyst for the story. Instead, it leaves you questioning some of their actions towards the end, albeit in a confusing way.

The Buckingham Murders Movie Review: Star Performance

Kareena Kapoor Khan is inevitably the soul of The Buckingham Murders. Not only does she turn producer for this one, but the actress shows an unwavering conviction in her performance as the central protagonist. In a de-glam avatar, Kareena brings in the trauma, angst, and vulnerability of a grieving mother. The actress brilliantly shows her lingering PTSD and suffering as she faces a case eerily similar to that of her son.

The scene where Kareena Kapoor Khan’s Jass finds it hard to let go of her son’s blood-stained clothes evokes all the right kinds of emotions within us for her character. She has some sassy moments too. Be it hitting a co-worker for a below-the-belt statement or telling another male colleague to go f**k himself, Kareena shines in every scene in The Buckingham Murders.

Apart from Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Brar, Kapil Redekar, Ranveer Brar, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu, Manish Gandhi and Keith Allen stand out. Kapil Redekar especially shines as Saqib, the main accused in the murder case. The depiction of a young life being thrust into a web of addiction and violence has been shown in a brutally honest manner with his performance.