Right from its opening sequence, in which a camera travels through a hole in a plane’s windshield and then through a pilot’s head into a cabin where an agent is wrestling with a criminal, 7 Dogs declares that it’s going to be big on barking-mad moments.

The 125-minute film is packed with breathlessly filmed, VFX-aided set pieces, some of which could trigger vertigo in sensitive viewers. (A lengthy chase filmed with a GoPro? Spare us.) The directors, the Belgian-Moroccan brothers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, never lose an opportunity to put a literal spin on action sequences, necessary to boost a routine cops-versus drug dealers plot.

The Arabic hit has been dubbed into Hindi and released in Indian cinemas. Sanjay Dutt and Salman Khan have cameos in a movie that is a Hollywood pastiche as well as better filmed Bollywood.

The story is attributed to Saudi Arabian government official Turki Al-Sheikh. Care is taken never to misrepresent the Saudi government’s treatment of drug-runners (always jail, no executions) while also showing off the kingdom’s various shooting locations.

Interpol officer Khalid (Ahmed Ezz) imprisons the fugitive Ghali (Karim Abdel Aziz), but is then forced to rely on Ghali to bust the 7 Dogs syndicate. This multi-national septet, which includes Sanjay Dutt as Ranjit and Salman Khan as Johar, is pushing the dangerous hallucinogenic Pink Lady. Khalid and Ghali forge an uneasy partnership amidst Khalid’s upcoming nuptials and despite Ghali’s reputation for slipperiness.

Aided by a pair of women with impeccably chiselled faces and deadly aim, the oddball pair goes after drug lords played by Monica Bellucci, Max Huang, Giancarlo Esposito and Martin Lawrence. Clearly, the latest movie from the directing duo behind two Bad Boys productions and the acclaimed web series Ms. Marvel wants to be far more representative of global stardom than Hollywood.

The Indian touches include a saas-bahu contest and knowingly cheesy Hindi dialogue by Ashok Chauhan and Rahul Kothari. In between channeling his inner James Bond/Jason Bourne/Ethan Hunt, Khalid fields simultaneous calls from his fiance and his mother, alongside striking up a bromance with Ghali.

Halfway between Mumbai masala and Hollywood salsa, 7 Dogs is the kind of over-the-top timepasser that thrives on low expectations. Although Salman Khan makes no impact, Sanjay Dutt is a good fit as the flamboyant Ranjit.

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