Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Wild Dog’ on Netflix, A Telegu-Language Action Movie That Lacks Bite

The South Indian, Telegu-language action film Wild Dog has been dubbed in Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada, and landed on Netflix recently. Does it … wait for it … stand out from the pack?

WILD DOG: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: After a bomb goes off in a restaurant and kills many innocent lives, an NIA (National Investigation Agency) officer takes it upon himself to lead the investigation into the killer. The search takes them across the border and into Nepal to track down the mastermind behind the bombing, forcing the officer nicknamed “Wild Dog” to get creative with his takedown.

What Will It Remind You Of?: Wild Dog is your run of the mill action flick, with shades of the Bourne trilogy and a dash of the Taken series, though it doesn’t live up to either franchise.

Performance Worth Watching: The film should be a showcase for Nagarjuna Akkineni who plays the titular Wild Dog, but Wild Dog really lights up when Bilal Hossein is onscreen as the hunted bomber, Khalid. His line delivery is crisp and his fiery energy enlivens a familiar story.

Memorable Dialogue: Oddly enough the character who gets the best dialogue is the villain, Khalid. He describes his destructive bomb-making like poetry. “Every time I make a bomb, I remember my mother. She used to cook a lot for me, but in small portions and feed me with her hands. That’s when I learned that we should do everything with love. God is in the details.”

Sex and Skin: None! I admire the film for not trying to insert a half-baked romance. Instead we just get two hours of straight action.

Our Take: By no means is Wild Dog bad, but there’s nothing novel about the concept. It’s an action movie. There is a heavy amount of violence and comical stunts (particularly in the desert when Wild Dog inexplicably soars in slow motion while shooting baddies), and a healthy level of deception amongst the people helping to carry out the mission. At no point was I surprised by the direction of the plot, despite the screenwriter’s attempts to fake out the audience.

Perhaps most egregious is the lack of emotional connection to the central character. Wild Dog, ultimately, is the story of a man whose daughter was killed in the incendiary bombing, yet we don’t witness any grief or resolute anger driving Wild Dog to revenge. Because he is a member of the Indian government, the perception is that he is following through on a work obligation rather than having a personal vendetta to carry out. In that, there is no urgency and no personal connection to the titular Wild Dog.

So. It is fine. If you’re good with fine, fire up that Netflix account! But if you want something with teeth, there are better action films to watch.

Our Call: SKIP IT. Personally, I want something better than fine.

Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a TV-obsessed writer based in New York City. Her work has appeared on Paste Magazine, Teen Vogue, and Brown Girl Magazine. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.

Watch Wild Dog on Netflix