SAN FRANCISCO, April 13, (RTRS): Take every bad action movie cliche you can imagine, throw in a few dance numbers, a head-scratching amnesia plot and seven exploding Jeeps and you’ll get an idea of what it’s like to endure “Prince.”
A humorless thriller that seems much longer than its 130-minute running time, “Prince” opened in India recently. It will end up a pauper at the box office. Its producers, Tips, will blame the Indian Premiere League celebrity cricket series, but scathing word of mouth will seal its fate.
The film isn’t likely to help its star, Vivek Oberoi, reclaim the respect he used to earn when he was known as a serious actor working with the likes of Ram Gopal Varma. Here, under the direction of first-timer Kookie V. Gulati, Oberoi plays Prince, a wealthy master thief with a basement full of high-tech gadgetry that would make Tony Stark jealous.
One morning at his Durban beach chalet, he wakes up with a headache and finds that his memory has been wiped clean. Who reformatted this guy’s hard drive? Can the cops be trusted? And why does the villain have tweezed eyebrows and a metal hand? The story, from the otherwise trustworthy Shiraz Ahmed (“Race,” “Wanted”), sends Prince racing at lightning speed through double-cross after triple-cross until it reaches a point where we no longer care who’s chasing whom or why.
The dialogue is a mishmash of tough-guy slogans and catchphrases (“It’s showtime!” smirks Prince before a big diamond heist). The acting is among the worst in recent memory — Prince’s girlfriend, Maya (Aruna Shields), may or may not be a wax figurine. Evil henchmen in ankle-length trench coats shoot at Prince at 20-foot range and can never seem to hit their target. Cars explode and fly into the air for no reason. Bad guys shoot out computer monitors.
Gulati, who has directed more than 100 music videos, says he is the first Indian director to map out a feature film using digital pre-visualization. But “Prince’s” extensive action sequences have taken priority over story. It’s regrettable, because Oberoi’s talent and natural smarts have been squandered.

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TORONTO: “Polytechnique,” a French-language movie that relives the 1989 massacre of 14 women by a crazed gunman in Montreal, dominated Canada’s film awards on Monday, winning nine Genies, including best picture.
Its haul also included best director for Denis Villeneuve, actress for Karine Vanasse, and supporting actor for Maxim Gaudette, who played the role of gunman Marc Lapine. The Quebec movie, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last year, was accused of sensationalism by some local commentators. It led the Genie field with 11 nominations.
Other Genie winners at the Toronto ceremony included “Dawson’s Creek” veteran Joshua Jackson for his lead role in the road movie “One Week.”