I saw Kaante today.  It is pretty entertaining, but I really hated the inclusion of songs in the film.  I never thought I would get bored of watching pole dancers   but I found myself just waiting for the songs to be over just so that we could get on with the story.  The performances are all over the place.  Kumar Gaurav and Sunil Shetty are the worst actors of the group, while Lucky Ali is only okay and Amitabh Bachchan and Mahesh Manjrekar are the best.  I too didn't like how the film tried to justify the characters' actions by including a sick wife for Amitabh, a retarded sister for Mahesh, etc.  Not only did it not work for me, but it doesn't really matter why they plan the robbery.  A good director can make you side with the bad guys without including such blatantly manipulative scenes.
 but I found myself just waiting for the songs to be over just so that we could get on with the story.  The performances are all over the place.  Kumar Gaurav and Sunil Shetty are the worst actors of the group, while Lucky Ali is only okay and Amitabh Bachchan and Mahesh Manjrekar are the best.  I too didn't like how the film tried to justify the characters' actions by including a sick wife for Amitabh, a retarded sister for Mahesh, etc.  Not only did it not work for me, but it doesn't really matter why they plan the robbery.  A good director can make you side with the bad guys without including such blatantly manipulative scenes.   
 
I was annoyed by the cinematography.  All the outdoor shots used a yellow or orange filter on the camera, which got tiresome really quickly.  And the MTV-style cutting and special effects (such as the overused changing speeds within one shot effect) also got tiresome quickly.  This overstylized visual approach hides the fact that the script itself isn't nearly as clever as Reservoir Dogs, in which the style was in the script as opposed to visual tricks.  RD often had interesting dialogue, such as the opening coffeehouse conversations, and had a unique voice all around.  It seems that Sanjay Gupta watched MTV music videos and recent American films with pen and paper to create his "style."  Not only are the gimmicks unnecessary, but they were distracting to me.  The DTS sound was really impressive, with well placed sounds, good bass, and immersive surround action.
Some more things I didn't like.  The shootout after the robbery had way too many closeups of the group firing their guns.  We don't get a sense of the space in which they and the police are fighting, so it is just a mishmash of shots of people shooting guns, explosions, and people getting shot.  I was annoyed with the song at the end, with the Steadicam circling endlessly over everyone's dead bodies and the intercutting of Major's wife, Bali's sister, Andy's son, etc.
I was entertained by Kaante, but this is far from the best film made since Sholay.  On an unrelated note, a group of about 7 or 8 guys in the front row often whistled and made noise, especially during the songs.  Extremely annoying.  Indians are the worst movie audiences!  
  
Edited By DragunR2 on 1041578398