Bell Bottom (2021)

Bell Bottom has that old-school, big-screen swagger that makes espionage thrillers feel like a night out again: sharp suits, ticking-clock tension, and a sense of national stakes that never lets the air out of the room. Set against the early ’80s hijacking era, it moves with the confidence of a crowd-pleaser, blending covert-operation intrigue with clean, propulsive action rather than murky complexity. Akshay Kumar is in his element—suave, stylish, and effortlessly watchable—anchoring the film’s momentum with movie-star charm. It’s not a gritty, hyper-realistic spy procedural, but if you want an engaging, entertaining thriller designed to play to a packed theater, this one delivers.

Bell Bottom wants to be a slick, patriotic espionage thriller that celebrates a “forgotten hero” and turns a real-life hijack era into a high-stakes covert mission. The problem is it often feels like two different movies stitched together: a slow, setup-heavy first half that struggles to generate tension or emotional pull, followed by a more energetic back end that relies heavily on action beats and the lead’s star aura. If you care about historical accuracy or you want a grounded, character-driven thriller with real emotional weight, this may leave you cold. If you’re mainly here for a stylish, crowd-pleasing spy fantasy with a few solid set pieces and a confident lead performance, it can still pass the time.