Irrfan Khan joins hands with two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks for the third instalment in the Robert Langdon series by Dan Brown, Inferno.
Directed by Ron Howard, mystery-thriller Inferno sees Irrfan as Harry ‘The Provost’ Sims, Head of The Consortium, a pivotal role in the film.
Story: Professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) suffers from Retrograde Amnesia and experiences nightmarish visions, when he wakes up in a hospital in Florence. Having lost his 48 hours of memory, he has no idea how he landed up there. Dr Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones) comes to his rescue. The two must race across Europe to decode cryptic symbols and codes in order to save humanity from a deadly virus created by a billionaire bioengineer, Zobrist (Ben Foster). He intends to wipe-out half the world’s population. To prevent a global pandemic, the duo must delve into Dante’s life.
Review: The film adaptation of Dan Brown’s bestseller (Inferno) may not be an edge-of-the-seat thriller but it manages to hold your attention and involve you in its quest. Hanks reprises the role of Langdon for the third time and lends his innate likeability to the character once again. He is Jason Bourne here, minus the weapons, bikes and fistfights. Some mega twists in the tale breathe life into the usual puzzle solving race and chase sequences.
While English actress Felicity Jones ably supports Hanks, it is our very own Irrfan, who plays a significant role in the movie and walks away with the best one-liners. As a leader of a morally ambiguous private security firm, he takes witty jibes at almost everyone in style and makes his presence felt. You love the way he warns Langdon, “Young people are disappointing. People get tolerable at 35.” He is fairly good in the action scenes as well! Hans Zimmer’s background score is another highlight.
Inferno, however is not a total smooth ride. It drags in portions, especially when it comes to Langdon’s personal life. Also it’s flooded with standard clichés that imply the professor being ‘humanity’s last hope’ etc. However, despite a few flaws, Ron Howard’s film is a competent adaptation and offers mild cerebral entertainment that manages to engage you. Go join the hunt.
Official Trailer: