Dec 22, 20202 min read

The Glint of Darkness: Revolution - Film Review

Updated: Dec 23, 2020

★★★

Written & Directed by: #ShaarathVihari

Produced by: Chandana Shaarath under Mad'ouk Motion Pictures

Starring: #ShaarathVihari, #SaikumarGuttikonda, #BrindaShivram

Film Review by Taryll Baker

Poster for The Glint of Darkness: Revolution

After the mysterious death of Heena Siddiqui, an investigative journalist at Global Post News, her colleague Nick decides to take her investigation forward with help from his long-time friend Sasha, where they encounter incredibly powerful Super-Soldiers.

World cinema is so inviting to me, seeing the different shifts in tone is super interesting. Hollywood can throw out some stunning films, but there are some truly brilliant works coming from other corners of the globe. Korea has an onslaught of amazing content, in both television and film, as does Greece (Yorgos Lanthimos, need I say more?) and, in this case, India. Indian filmmaking is especially vibrant and holds its own unique flair, and in the gritty black and white drama from Shaarath Vihari, it’s no different.

The Glint of Darkness: Revolution is a pretty ambitious film. I couldn’t grasp the concept entirely but the stunts and bigger nature of the film (which I believe is independently funded) is definitely appreciated, and I think that’s where I stand on this. I appreciated it more so than I enjoyed. The technical side of things was more exciting to me than the narrative. Ramesh Kumar Kannan’s music score heightens the action on-screen and the editing, while a little choppy, is good.

The fight choreography at the mid-point of the film is fairly average, but some of the camerawork improves it considerably. In fact, the same goes for most of the film in general. There are some really nice angle choices throughout that makes everything feel like its flowing a lot smoother. Bike chases are exciting and the fight scenes pull you into the drama of the story. There is one problem; the dialogue feels quite forced.

Acting is likely the first thing someone will notice when watching a film so it’s something you want to get right. That’s not to say the performers are bad, I just feel the writing needed more work to fully engage me. However, the practical work is pretty impressive like aforementioned and I was fairly entertained for the duration. Speaking of it being ambitious, there’s a sequel on the way it seems, so I’m interested to see where this heads.

This is Shaarath Vihari’s feature debut in both writing and directing, and I feel with the next project, whether it’s the sequel or something separate, he will have learned some things… After all, this is what filmmaking is all about.

Watch the trailer for The Glint of Darkness: Revolution below.