User reviews

A very poor work. I don't know who appointed the director to direct a film of this legendary character. Masud Rana never looked like a secret agent in the film. His movement, expression, dialogue delivery everything looked like nothing more than a Bodyguard. Story was also very weak. Acting was immature by most of the actors. Very poorly executed film as per the production house claims the budget. There was no climax in the whole movie. A secret agent's film should have been more intense. No way the film met the standard of the original character of the book. If same director directs the second part, then that will be a disaster like this one.

Disappointed!!!

The aftermath of the first showing of MR9: Do or Die left the audience in an unusual silence, as they departed from the theater and resumed their day. The film's disoriented beginning and lack of coherence left it struggling to establish a clear direction, resulting in its forgettable nature mere hours after viewing.

MR9: Do or Die grapples with an identity crisis, wavering between a buddy cop drama and a budget James Bond imitation. This attempt to cater to both the US and Bangladeshi markets unfortunately misses the mark on both fronts.

The story, though often conforming to the cliché "evil Russian with grand world-ending plans," remains the most logically sound aspect of the movie. However, the forced romantic subplot and the introduction of Masud Rana's origin story felt jarring and unwelcome. Compounding the issue, the protagonist, Masud, conveys his emotions through minimal dialogue, hindering audience connection.

The characters suffer from one-dimensionality, particularly Masud Rana, who lacks meaningful interactions with others. On a positive note, the performances of the actors portraying the CIA detectives were commendable, with Duke emerging as a standout favorite. The remaining characters merely occupy space within the movie.

Thankfully, the film refrains from including gratuitous elements like item songs, maintaining a clean presentation. Despite leaning into certain stereotypes, the film offers a fresh perspective on the beloved character Masud Rana. However, the decision to end with sequel bait was ill-advised, leaving an unsatisfying aftertaste. The film would have been better served by concluding when the primary story wraps up.

First of all, as a movie adapted from a novel, it didn't work well because of poor casting at the leading role Masud Rana. He doesn't look like the character as well as he doesn't act like him at all. ABM Sumon (MR 9) acts like an expressionless android. Besides that, the storyline is not so engaging and the direction is very poor. I am not sure if it is the first movie of the director Asif Akbor or not. The visuals are not so good as well specially the part where blood was spitting out after taking a shot. It felt like the blood was vapor out in the air. Finally, the main torture was the horrible sound design. It felt like a real torture with too much loud sound and illogical sound placement. Overall, the movie was below average with poor direction, artificial acting and intolerable sound mixing.

The director, storywriter, and others involved probably never read any Masud Rana books before. Masud Rana doesn't resemble the character, and he doesn't act like him at all in this film. He didn't even look like a secret agent; instead, he came across as a trainee, a secondary character, and a weak, unintelligent, and immature one.

The special effects and CGI are worse than what you'd find in average budget social media content. Everything went horribly wrong in this movie. Not every idea deserves to be turned into a film, and this one is a prime example of that. It's a disheartening disappointment for fans and cinema enthusiasts alike.

Utter Disaster!!!

A miserable attempt at copying Hollywood. Everything from acting to direction to editing was disgusting.

If you want to show yourself off as James Bond on the big screens, please learn how to hold a gun first. And that applies to almost all characters of the film. Even seasoned actors like Frank Grillo and Michael Jai White looked like a fool at times. This goes to show that it was due to some horrible direction / editing.

Did you enjoy seeing the technologies straight out of the 1960s movies, like the rolling sky background when they jumped out of the aircraft, or the fake looking gears that were provided to MR-9 when he started the mission?

Rest in peace, Kazi Anowar Hossain, glad you didn't have to watch this.

This is one of the worst movies I have ever watched. Right from the storyline to action sequences, from acting to cinematography, there is not a single aspect of this movie that had anything positive about it. Most action set pieces looked like they have picked some random people with big bodies from street, handed them some fake firearms and asked them to play tag. The production value is extremely poor and resembles that of the Kanti Shah movies. Let alone the Bollywood spy movies of the Jitendra era, this could not even match the semi B-grade spy movies of Mithun.

If only stuck to the original storyline this could have been a much more compelling movie. Kabir Khan, was an iconic villain in the Masud Rana universe. They reduced him to a caricature at best.

Please save yourself from headache and avoid watching this movie.

Where do I even begin with MR9: Do or Die? This movie is a prime example of everything that can go horribly wrong in film making. From the brick faced acting to the childish scripts, this cinematic disaster is a painful experience that should be avoided at all costs.

Let's start with the plot-or lack thereof. It's as if the writers threw a bunch of random ideas into a hat, pulled them out one by one, and decided to mash them together into a supposed "story." The result is a convoluted mess that leaves the audience scratching their heads in confusion.

The acting is a whole other level of awful. It's almost impressive how consistently terrible the performances are across the board. The lead actor delivers lines with all the emotion of a cardboard cutout, and the supporting cast doesn't fare any better. It's clear that acting lessons were nowhere to be found during the production of this train wreck.

And let's not forget the cringe-worthy dialogue that plagues every scene. It's as if the script writer was a student of primary school, learning new English from 10 minutes school.

The special effects are equally atrocious. The CGI looks like it was done by a first-year graphic design student who just discovered Photoshop. The "spilling blood" effects were so poorly executed that doesn't seem near to be realistic and the "gun shots" are so poorly executed that they border on comical.

Even the soundtrack seems to be in on the joke, as it switches between inappropriate genres with reckless abandon. One moment, we're subjected to a dramatic orchestral score during a supposedly intense action scene, and the next, we're treated to a jaunty polka tune during a somber moment. It's like the filmmakers took a random playlist and hit shuffle.

In conclusion, MR9: Do or Die is an absolute disaster from start to finish. It's a painful reminder that not every idea deserves to be turned into a movie, and not every movie should see the light of day. Save yourself the agony and stay far, far away from this cinematic catastrophe. Your brain cells will thank you.

I have doubt that the director ever read any Masud Rana. Absolutely disappointed. The story was weak. Poor casting. ABM Sumon does not look like Masud Rana that was portrayed by Kazi Anwar Hossein.

I have doubt that the director ever read any Masud Rana. Absolutely disappointed. The story was weak. Poor casting. ABM Sumon does not look like Masud Rana that was portrayed by Kazi Anwar Hossein.

I have doubt that the director ever read any Masud Rana. Absolutely disappointed. The story was weak. Poor casting. ABM Sumon does not look like Masud Rana that was portrayed by Kazi Anwar Hossein.

Absolutely disappointed.

Of course I opted to sit down and watch "MR-9: Do or Die", as I happened to stumble upon it by random luck here in 2024. It was an action thriller with Frank Grillo and Michael Jai White on the cast list, so of course I sat down to watch it. Sure, I had never heard about the movie before, but that hardly mattered.

The storyline in "MR-9: Do or Die" wasn't exactly interesting or captivating. And it was a constant struggle to maintain interest in the movie, because it made very little sense, and there just wasn't anything overly enjoyable happening throughout the course of the mundane and long 106 minutes that the movie trotted on for.

It was rather impressive that a collective three writers could manage to conjure up something this weak and disappointing. Writers Asif Akbar, Nazim Ud Daula and Abdul Aziz delivered something that felt like something that would happen if you ordered James Bond from Wish.

The acting performances in the movie were, for the most part, rather rigid and devoid of life and emotion, and that made sitting through the movie all the more painful. And I have to say that this movie was definitely not the finest moments in the careers of Frank Grillo and Michael Jai White, the only two familiar faces on the cast list. Grillo and White were like fish out of water in this movie. Leading actor Abm Sumon, playing MR-9 Masud Rana, was not a particularly good actor, and that sort of shunted the movie.

The music in the movie was so over-dramatic that is quickly became a nuisance to listen to. And I really wish that I had the option to turn off the music, because it was seriously ruining the movie.

The blood effects from the gunshots was just laughably bad to look at. No one buys into those God awful sprays of red CGI mist as being blood from gunshot wounds. It just looking atrocious and gave a low budget and amateurish atmosphere to the movie.

"MR-9: Do or Die" is definitely not a movie that I would recommend you waste 106 minutes of your life on watching. Some of us suffered through it and took one for the team, so you don't have to; you're quite welcome. Nor is it a movie that will ever find its way back to my screen a second time, as it was difficult enough to sit through it the first time.

My rating of director Asif Akbar's 2023 action thriller "MR-9: Do or Die" lands on a very, very generous three out of ten stars.

There is no present of any story totally garbage work. No present of emotion. No strong stroy telling is present there. Only fight and background music was present. Every character was totally funny. No story plot present there. In my opinion it was not that standard that our Bangladeshi movie represent. Actor was good in fight scene but acting like a robot. There was no connection between story and presenting scenarios. Below average work and casting is also not good standard. One positive vibe is there that is the colour grading of the picture. Fight scene is also good. Lastly totally waste of time.

A very well crafted movie. The story could be well comprehended. The action sequences were perfectly projected with good sets and locations. The overall acting of the casts was very good. Specially, the lead role ABM Shumon could successfully portray the legendary novel character of 'Masud Rana', which was very important from the perspective of Bangladeshi fans. The cinematography was good. Overall very good movie as an action thriller. However, in addition to few minor lapses, the storyline can be improved in future. Considering a first kind in nature from Bangladesh, an wonderful attempt. Best of luck.

I've a mixed feeling about this. They had good actors/actresses with years of experience, new faces, good storyline (from the book), a decent budget and this is what they come up with?

Unnecessarily loud background music, out of context transitions, forced backstories of protagonists that failed to touch the audience, lame comedy attempts, too much location transitions (At some point it felt like a geographical documentary), lazy character introductions, John Wick'ed dialogue deliveries, everyone in the movie felt like video game NPCs.

I feel bad for ABM Sumon. This guy clearly has the talent but his potential was reduced to ashes.

Am not gonna waste more time on this. I wasted time already in the cinema.

It is horrible, the scenes are too slow, actors too weak and show off, story is not understandable due to the horrible work of the director, characters appear out of nowhere, fights happen without clear reason, the fights are unrealistic at all, out of nowhere we change from Las Vegas to Bangladesh, the actor steals a bike in 2 seconds...

Horrible, it is literally horrible work.

And the scenes are horribly unrealistic, illogical and can't be considered. It's like they're laughing at the audience.

Enough said, enough time wasted.

I feel offended watching the first 10 minutes of this movie.

Its a $5 film production 🤣

Describing the "worst movie" is subjective, but some films are widely regarded as among the worst due to their overwhelming combination of flaws. One often-cited example is *The Room* (2003), directed by Tommy Wiseau. Here's why *The Room* is frequently labeled as one of the worst movies ever made:

1) Incoherent Plot, The storyline is disjointed, with numerous unresolved subplots and inconsistencies. The main plot, revolving around a love triangle, is riddled with gaps and illogical developments.

2) Terrible Dialogue, The script is infamous for its unnatural and awkward dialogue, filled with nonsensical lines and bizarre exchanges that often leave audiences bewildered.

3) Poor Acting: Performances are widely criticized for being wooden and unconvincing.

4) Direction and Editing: direction lacks cohesion, leading to erratic pacing and jarring scene transitions. The editing is also childish , with numerous continuity errors and abrupt cuts that disrupt the flow of the film.

Everyone needs a James Bond ... everyone as in every country I reckon. So no pun intended. In case you were wondering: we even get a Q - though I forgot what he is called here. That said, I do like the actors involved in this. Especially Michael Jai White - always amazed how he moves (elegantly) considering his height (he is quite big).

As the movie ended and I thought I was done ... this promises there is more ... I am not sure I will be watching that. On the other hand I am known to almost watch everything so there goes that I guess. Anyway, the action is quite well shot and choreographed, though not in a way you will be too impressed either. Still decent ... it is everything else that will not win you over ... the charisma (or lack thereof) of the main actor is not helping either.

How good a movie is is inversely proportional to the number of into film maker logos and this one has way too many. It is also bad when the actor for the lead character isn't among primary actors in the film on IMDB. Where does one start when a movie is this bad? The script is so poorly written. The acting is so flat and uninteresting. And the action sequences? Simply abysmal. I'm not sure how they convinced Frank Grillo to be part of this trash. I've seen Michael Jai White in a few movies this bad. Needless to say both of their performances were completely uninspiring. Do or die? This movie was dead as soon as it started.

There's an old saying in the world of espionage: "Keep it sharp, keep it clever." Unfortunately, The Phantom Protocol is neither. This film should be classified as a high-level security breach-because everything that could go wrong, does. From start to finish, it's a muddled mess of clichéd tropes, nonsensical plot twists, and a cast that seems just as lost as the script itself.

First off, the story is a disaster. The plot tries to be ambitious-mixing shadowy government agencies, international intrigue, and high-stakes double-crosses-but it collapses under the weight of its own confusion. The screenplay seems like a collection of random scenes someone threw together after watching an old Bond film and a dozen generic action flicks. At no point does the narrative feel cohesive, and by the time the "big twist" comes, you'll likely have already tuned out from the sheer incoherence of it all.

The dialogue? Let's just say the characters never actually speak like real people-more like walking, talking exposition machines. Every line sounds like it was crafted to remind you of better spy movies, but without any of the charm or wit. One character even manages to deliver an entire monologue without a single ounce of emotion-definitely not the kind of performance you'd expect from a seasoned spy.

The action scenes, which are the supposed bread and butter of any spy thriller, are as frustrating as they are forgettable. The choreography feels stiff, the cuts are so fast that you can't even tell who's fighting whom, and the CGI is laughably bad. A car chase in the first act is supposed to get your heart racing, but it's so poorly executed that you'll be too busy trying to figure out how much of it is green screen to care about the supposed danger.

As for the performances-if you can call them that-everyone seems to be phoning it in. The lead actor, who was probably cast for their "action hero" looks, brings zero depth to the character. There's no chemistry with the other cast members, and the villain is so cartoonishly evil that they wouldn't be out of place in a Saturday morning cartoon.

And don't even get me started on the pacing. The film drags on endlessly, filled with unnecessary filler that only serves to make the already convoluted plot even harder to follow. By the time the final act rolls around, you'll be wishing you'd spent your time watching literally any other spy film-yes, even that one with the bad dialogue and corny one-liners.

In conclusion, The Phantom Protocol is a prime example of a film that takes all the right ingredients-a secret agent, an international conspiracy, and high-tech gadgets-and manages to ruin them all. It's neither thrilling nor intelligent, and with a plot that feels like it was written on the back of a napkin, it's clear that this spy flick is more of a training exercise in how not to make a spy movie.

If you want a spy thriller with substance, go watch Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Casino Royale, or even Mission: Impossible. But do yourself a favor-don't waste your time on The Phantom Protocol unless you're looking for an excellent example of how not to handle international espionage.

Really did not know what to expect as this was my first movie watched with a non-USA or British spy twist but was impressed with the get to the point beginning scenes of the MR9 character.

The CIA cast and scenes were sequenced for story line at the exact time along with MR9 spy life and how he came to be.

Missing is the 100's of millions of $$$ that a full Hollywood film has its disposal but for audiences this was made for, film hits it mark with a ten.

The downside is the lack of advertising here in the states for the film. Probably would have larger audiences watching if some effort was made in most large markets. Perhaps I'm not watching the the correct marketing channels?

Hopefully the sequel of this movie is out in 6 months to year.

Watched the US-Bangladesh joint venture spy action thriller movie MR 9 today .. MR 9 is our very own desi James Bond "Masud Rana" .. The movie is based on the first book of the Rana series, "Dhongsho Pahar" (1966), by Qazi Anwar Hussain!

ABM Sumon as Masud Rana looks the part, but except action scenes he did not get to show his acting prowess .. Some of the action sequences was good, the cinematography was top notch, background score was excellent but the movie was too much slow-paced .. At some point it became boring .. It really needed to be fast-paced .. The acting was just about ok .. The makers clearly lost the vision of Qazi Anwar Hussain somewhere down the line!!

The movie was not upto the mark .. But atleast now a Bangladeshi movie has joined the Spyverse!!!

I grew up reading the spy-thriller books, written by Qazi Anwar Hussain, about the legendary international espionage agent Masud Rana (MR 9) of the Bangladesh Counter Intelligence .. From school life till now I just love reading the Masud Rana books!!!!

This movie is so much good. Hero is super. He is an Bangladeshi. Some actress Indian and American. Bangladeshi Big Budget movie. This Story take Anwar Hussain books famous Masod Rana series "Dhongso Pahar". I hope everybody Like this movie. Go Cineplex and enjoy Full family. This movie is Spy Thriller type. This is historical movie & Big Bazaar movie. Cinema hall is Housefull, Cineplex is Housefull, all are crowd Hall of Fame, enjoy, surrounding. Cineplex ticket are booked one week ago. It's seems to me every person seen this movie in the Cineplex and enjoy yourself. Thanks for all. May God help us.

So happy to see Bangladeshis make us beam with pride once again!!! I can only imagine that it was no easy feat to NOT ONLY pull off a portion of the decades long Famous MASUD RANA series, But Also portray a film in the Espionage/Action/Thriller genre worldwide. Very pleasantly satisfied even though I've only heard about the Masud Rana books and their great legacy!!! Hope this is truly only the beginning and that we Bangladeshis don't shy from celebrating this moment and spreading the word of this achievement, and show our enthusiasm and encouragements to improve and continue the story! Let's keep cutting Rana's vacations short lol 😉😉😉

Skip to content

Main Miscellaneous Search You are here: Home / Film Review: "MR-9: Do or Die" / Movies / Film Reviews / Film Review: "MR-9: Do or Die" Film Review: "MR-9: Do or Die" September 5, 2023 b

MR-9: DO OR DIE Starring: Abm Sumon, Michael Jai White and Frank Grillo Directed by: Asif Akbar Rated: Not Rated Running time: 2 hrs 4 mins Premiere Entertainment Group

I have followed the career of filmmaker Asif Akbar since his eye-opening documentary "Top Priority: the Terror Within" in 2010. In 2018, he made his solo feature directing debut with the sci-fi thriller "Astro," a film he co-wrote. As the years rolled on, his films became bigger and better. And with his latest, "MR-9: Do or Die," he has delivered the biggest and the best.

In a remote C. I. A. Field office, a pair of agents are planning their upcoming mission. After going through all the particulars, one says to the other, "Let's not make a scene this time." Oops.

Action packed from start to finish, "MR-9: Do or Die" follows the adventures of B. C. I. (Bangladesh Counter Intelligence Agency) agent Masud Rana (Sumon), code name MR-9. He is put to work to investigate a pair of brothers whose robotics company is up to no good. As he literally travels the world to foil the brothers plot the body count grows. And grows. And grows!

There are two kinds of action films. One kind is horribly paced, with really nothing going on between the action scenes. For an example I offer the George Clooney film, "The American," which was such a snoofefest I had to think for a couple of minutes before I remembered the title. An example of a great action film is this summer's latest installment in the "Mission Impossible: series, "Dead Reckoning." As in that film, the action here is non-stop, with the characters only taking a few moments to catch their breaths, presumably to allow the audience to do the same.

The performances are strong and Akbar's pacing spot on. Like "MI: Dead Reckoning," the extended running time moves quickly. Another thing in common - there is more to this adventure to come.

The film is beautifully shot, with each of the global destinations captured in their own individual beauty. Credit Director of Photography Mark David and Production Designer Chad Quick for the amazing look of the film and composer Ricky Kej for his Bondian-themed score, a perfect accompaniment for the action on-screen.

MR-9: Do or Die" receives four out of a total of five stars.

But MR9 was jolly, funny, soft and hard when required . This type didn't find a movie. Also casting Kabir Chowdhury is not perfect. Theme music during action is not available. In the few scenes BGM and action were poorer than Shakib khan movie. It should be dubbed in Bengali & Hindi during release in respective country . Rahat khan charcte was not upto the mark. MR9 is a very old epic written by Kazi ANwar Hossain (Kazi Da), and the director should follow the writers flavor. It could be a best spy thriller if plot was well organized. Hence atleast someone started it. Good luck and make a better movie from MR9 next time. Add few song for Bangla and Hindi version.

Though there are a lot of flaws in the storytelling, Background music selection, Transitions but I will hope it will develop through the upcoming sequels... This movie was watched by mostly hollywood movie spectators thus they are comparing... Thats not fair for a highly ambitious, risky step taken by the project developers... For the first ever in Bangladesh history this level has been touched, so we should be praising and longing... To the producers and director, please don't let it be a solo, bring sequels... There are a lot of difficulties for the first but sense of establishment too... I have a high hope for the next projects and best wishes... Keep grinding, this will bring excellence to our movie industry... Take nothing but love from us...