He may have epitomised Bollywood's angry young man in the 70s, but nowadays veteran Amitabh Bachchan is relishing playing the angry old man. From evil mobsters to vigilante bodyguards, his dark and dangerous turns have gone down well at the box office. The latest film to encapsulate his simmering rage is Raj Kumar Santoshi's Family. But even his skilled performance as a Bangkok-based underworld don who returns to India when his wife and kids are abducted isn't enough to save this from being just another violent vendetta flick.

"I love it when people tremble whilst saying my name," sneers Viren Sahai (Bachchan), reprimanding an Indian government official from the comfort of his Thai den. It's only when he returns to Mumbai to eliminate an enemy, and kills an innocent man (Akshay Kumar) in the crossfire, that his Achilles' heel is exposed. Soon all hell breaks loose as Aryan (Aryeman), the victim's brother, takes Sahai's precious family hostage prompting local Godfathers and corrupt police to join in the payback. It's just a shame the real action doesn't get going until half way through the film once the unnecessary songs are out of the way.

"FAILS TO LIVE UP TO EXPECTATIONS"

Santoshi and Bachchan may have been hoping to repeat the critical success of their previous police drama Khakee, but sadly Family fails to live up to expectations. Instead of focusing on the plot's strength, namely the examination of how both the weakest and most powerful of men can be defeated by their own kin, Santoshi devotes too much screen time to inexperienced newcomer Aryeman, who neither looks or sounds old enough to stand up to the mighty Bachchan. The result is a mediocre drama sprinkled with run-of-the-mill action scenes.