Review of Sultan (2016) by Michael W — 19 Jul 2016

The director needed 2 hours and 50 minutes to pack every sentimental Hollywood trope from the 1940s to 2000 into one dramatically overwrought, formulaic film. The production values were high and the acting wasn't bad, but this is not a film for a thoughtful person who enjoys a sophisticated plot and nuanced character development.

One troubling aspect of this film was the disturbing appearance of oblivious racism. I realize that the film was produced in India, so racial sensibilities may be different from what is typically acceptable in the U.S, but there were descriptions of black fighters by the announcers during the MMA fight scenes that drew gasps from our Chicago audience. I won't quote because it was so racist and so offensive that I don't want to upset anyone who happens to read this review, but be forewarned.