‘The Buckingham Murders’ review: An unfussy police procedural with a dodgy heroine

Star Cast: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Brar, Ash Tandon, Kapil Redekar, Prabhleen Sandhu, Keith Allen, Assad Raja, Manish Gandhi

Director: Hansal Mehta

The Buckingham Murders Movie: Story

Jasmeet Bhamra, aka Jass (Kareena Kapoor Khan), is a police officer who is battling excessive trauma and anxiety after her child is murdered by a psychopath in an arcade shooting. Even though the perpetrator is arrested, she cannot cope with her grave loss. Things get further tricky for her when she’s handed over the case of a missing child in Buckinghamshire’s High Wycombe area who is later found to be dead. The region is already cluttered with a religious conflict, and further chaos ensues when a Muslim suspect is arrested in the case. Even though the case appears to be solved on the surface, Jass is convinced that more skeletons are in the closet. She’s on a quest to unravel the truth while grappling with her inner demons.

The Buckingham Murders Movie: Script Analysis

Director Hansal Mehta doesn’t waste time in creating the grim and macabre setting for The Buckingham Murders. Right from Kareena Kapoor Khan’s Jass getting flashbacks of her life’s tragedy to the riveting crime scene which unfolds many suspects, each with their dark secrets. The story by Aseem Arrora uses several backdrops to create an intriguing and disturbing tone as the murder investigation begins. Right from religious conflicts, a loveless marriage, deep-rooted misogyny, drug addiction amongst the youth, loss of a child, and inability to cope with one’s loss. One of the main highlights of the movie is that it doesn’t waste time in any meandering sub-plots and keeps a steady pace.

However, the screenplay falters in the second half of The Buckingham Murders as it inches closer to the climax. While the murder investigation could have been shown in a more nuanced manner, the plot also falls prey to some predictability. Better character development and writing for the supporting star cast would have also acted as a good catalyst for the story. Instead, it leaves you questioning some of their actions towards the end, albeit in a confusing way.

The Buckingham Murders Movie: Star Performance

Kareena Kapoor Khan is inevitably the soul of The Buckingham Murders. Not only does she turn producer for this one, but the actress shows an unwavering conviction in her performance as the central protagonist. In a de-glam avatar, Kareena brings in the trauma, angst, and vulnerability of a grieving mother. The actress brilliantly shows her lingering PTSD and suffering as she faces a case eerily similar to that of her son.

The scene where Kareena Kapoor Khan’s Jass finds it hard to let go of her son’s blood-stained clothes evokes all the right kinds of emotions within us for her character. She has some sassy moments too. Be it hitting a co-worker for a below-the-belt statement or telling another male colleague to go f**k himself, Kareena shines in every scene in The Buckingham Murders.

Apart from Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Brar, Kapil Redekar, Ranveer Brar, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu, Manish Gandhi and Keith Allen stand out. Kapil Redekar especially shines as Saqib, the main accused in the murder case. The depiction of a young life being thrust into a web of addiction and violence has been shown in a brutally honest manner with his performance.

The Buckingham Murders Movie: Direction, Music

Hansal Mehta does manage to curate an engaging thriller in the form of The Buckingham Murders despite a few missed. I wish that the suspense factor was a bit stronger and with a higher level of thriller. Any fan of the crime/thriller genre could ultimately guess the movie’s final outcome. However, it gets the message right wherein a woman comes face to face with her worst fears by handling a case that constantly reminds her of her own life’s tragedy. Regarding the music, the track ‘Sada Pyaar Tut Gaya’ seems to stand out.

The Buckingham Murders Movie: Conclusion

To all the Kareena Kapoor Khan fans out there, you definitely check out The Buckingham Murders once for her stellar and honest performance. Once released into the OTT sphere, the movie might have an excellent chance to shine. A little more nuanced screenplay would’ve prevented the predictability of the plot. But overall, the movie does make way for an engaging watch.