Dacoit, directed by Shaneil Deo, is a thriller that promises much but delivers little. The film follows Hari (Adivi Sesh), a convicted murderer who breaks out of jail to take revenge on his former girlfriend Juliet (Mrunal Thakur). However, the plot is generic and predictable, with a romance that takes its own sweet time to develop.
The film's biggest flaw is its lack of conviction, particularly in its portrayal of the COVID-19 pandemic. The corruption track is headed nowhere, and the action scenes are not as exhilarating as they should be. The music, composed by Bheems Ceciroleo, fails to make an impact, with the song 'Touch Buddy' being the weakest of the lot.
Anurag Kashyap has a half-baked role as a cop, and the film's self-awareness is its only redeeming quality. A character even calls out the exaggeration of the heist situation within the narrative. Overall, Dacoit keeps threatening to take off but never quite leaves the runway, leaving the audience mildly restless and wondering what could have been if the film had matched its own ambitions.
