Black War Review: Arifin Shuvoo gives it his all

"Mission Extreme" greeted the fans on December 3, 2021, and just 406 days later, its sequel "Black War" appeared before the audience on January 13, 2023.

Revolving around the theme of terrorism, "Black War" continues just where "Mission Extreme" left off. Directed by Sunny Sanwar and Faisal Ahmed, the film portrays how terrorists use religion as a weapon for their own selfish goals, and how the police force works to fight them off.

On the first part of the story which was shown in "Mission Extreme", the directors left quite a few questions unanswered. In the action thriller film "Black War", all of those answers are revealed.

In the scenario of Bangladesh, creating such an action thriller film is already a praiseworthy achievement. However, when it comes to the release date of the films, premiering it in film festivals or such events might have allowed it to reach more audience.

It is unknown whether any other Bangladeshi actor worked this hard – a total of 9 months -- for just a four-minute action scene. Arifin Shuvoo forged his hard-earned (Made in Bangladesh, as he likes to call it), six-pack abs just for a four-minute action scene of the film. His dedication was reflected on the screen as well, mesmerising the fans' whose eyes were glued at the actor.

It is hard to imagine anyone else playing Arifin Shuvoo's role in "Black War"— his performance was truly immersive from the get-go.

A memorable moment from the film was the scene when he left for his mission, even after getting to know that his mother has been admitted to ICU. Another stellar scene is where Arifin Shuvoo discusses the ayats of the Quran with the lead antagonist played by Manoj Pramanik.

On the other hand, actress Sadia Nabila has charmed the audience with her immaculate performance. In every scene, fans could almost feel the character's emotions through her eyes—as if they were directly conversing with them.

One such scene was when she comes learn of her lover's death – many in the audience broke into tears during this moment.

Jannatul Ferdous Oishee, one of the heroines of the film, who had a massive presence in "Mission Extreme", did not have much to do in this one. However, her character looked quite refreshing and active in the film.

Though Taskeen Rahman's role in the film was acceptable, he couldn't flesh out the sharpness and liveliness in the character, which is common in his previously portrayed antagonist characters. Similarly, Sumit Sen Gupta's character wasn't properly fleshed out, despite the actor's relentless efforts to embody it.

On another note, Fazlur Rahman Babu's cameo made a place in the hearts of the audience. However, Iresh Zaker and Misha Sawdagar's characters weren't as refined, due to not having a proper ending.

The film's famed number "Maa", in the voice of Noble Man, was a commendable endeavour. The lyrics, tune and beats of the song felt like an unknown language of love and emotions. On the other hand, the film could have done with the item song "Chalao Guli", which has literary no effect on the film or the audience.

Overall, those who like to watch action thriller movies will definitely love "Black War" on the big screen.