HIT The Third Case movie review: Blood-soaked Nani steals the show in this gory fest that could've been better

Hindustan Times

01-05-2025

HIT The Third Case movie review: For a long time, Nani has been boxed into playing the 'natural star', the man who can do no wrong, someone who woos girls with his boy-next-door charm, and is relatable to any man. But it's fascinating to watch him on-screen when he veers away from that and plays characters that might be a tad unhinged. And Sailesh Kolanu's HIT: The Third Case offers just that, even if the movie itself could've been a little better. (Also Read: Retro movie review: Suriya shines like the sun again but Karthik Subbaraj's film is an uneven ride)
Arjun Sarkaar (Nani), who is the SP of the Homicide Intervention Team (HIT) in Vizag, is the kind of man whose colleagues respect, even if only out of fear, but the general public loathes. Every woman he goes on dates with would rather run away than spend a second more with him. Right from the get-go, you just know there's something off about this man who will scream at the drop of a hat, dislodges arms with the ease with which he pops pills, domesticates vultures (you read that right) and just all around, is anything but a ray of sunshine. Wednesday Addams would love him. Then there comes along a case he begins to take personally due to loss of innocent lives. And he finally meets his match.
If you've watched HIT: The First Case and HIT: The Second Case, you know Sailesh has vastly improved with the way he goes about solving the crime in HIT 3. He still indulges in cinematic liberties that make you sigh and moments that make you roll your eyes, particularly in the fag end of the film. However, once the going gets tough and Arjun is finally in company that's considerably worse than him, the film kicks into gear and blood flows – literally. If you're squeamish about blood and gore, this is definitely not the film for you. The A-rating might have been a giveaway, but just in case it wasn't. And if watching humans get dismembered on-screen is your jam, it rarely gets better than this in Indian cinema.
If you're familiar with the terms dark web or snuff films and have seen Hostel or even Squid Games, you kind of already guess where HIT 3 is headed. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, somewhere in the film lies Sailesh's commentary on how we as a society have come to the state where we bay for blood quite easily, and also consume violent content with delight. It sure is ironic that he does that with the help of a protagonist who's probably shy of a few marbles, but nonetheless, when even someone like Arjun is shocked, you know things have gone too far. But all that feels quite lost when you're too distracted by the blood-soaked Arjun slashing his way to justice.
When Mrudula (Srinidhi Shetty) is introduced in the film, she comes across like someone who might not be everything she seems on the surface. She feels like a heroine from a Gautham Vasudev Menon movie, the perfect manic pixie dream girl, but also seems to be hiding something. A phone call Arjun has with his father (Samuthirakani) only solidifies that there are even red herrings thrown at you. However, the big reveal about her character seems as boring as they come, and the way her character behaves later only gets on your nerves, as does the love story.
What also gets on your nerves is how Alpha (Prateik Smita Patil) speaks once he's introduced later in the tale. He comes across like a token antagonist who widens his eyes, opens his arms and screams nonsense for his people to agree with. What could've been a truly spine-chilling villain comes across like a caricature of who he's meant to be. Other moments in the film also feel like a stretch, particularly how Mrudula finds Arjun's location in a key moment, or the ending, which sees Arjun finally finish what he started. A key character is randomly introduced and hurriedly explained instead of taking the time to bring them to life.
But not all is lost because HIT: The Third Case shines when it comes to Nani's performance and the super-fun cameos. If you thought Nani in V (2020) should've been written better, well, this is it. If Vikram Rudraraju (Vishwak Sen) in HIT 1 suffers from PTSD due to past trauma, and Krishna Dev, aka KD (Adivi Sesh) in HIT 2, has a tendency to be sarcastic and crack jokes at odd moments, the only thing Arjun suffers from is a lack of tact. And Nani grabs the opportunity with both hands to veer between psychotic and funny when needed.
HIT 3 brings back some familiar characters (including a canine) right in the middle of chaos to create some whistle-worthy moments, and it works. The dynamic between the new and the old guard feels seamless and doesn't feel like it's unnecessary to the story. Sailesh has already upped the ante with HIT 3, because he delivers flashes of brilliance between the run-of-the-mill. But, of course, the film ends with a superstar cameo who might give KD a run for his money, making you intrigued about HIT: The Fourth Case.