NEW YORK (CNS) -- Fasten your seat belt -- and put on your dancing shoes -- for "Race 3" (Yash Raj), a wild action thriller.

This latest "Race" film, directed by Remo D'Souza in Hindi with English subtitles, reboots the Bollywood franchise with a new cast and a stand-alone story. It's a whirlwind of a movie, written by Shiraz Ahmed with dialogue by Kiran Kotrial, which is part family soap opera, part James Bond adventure, and part "Dancing with the Stars."

The end result is utterly incomprehensible but oddly entertaining at times, as the mash-up features something for just about everyone over the age of 18.

The violence-driven plot is like an episode of "Dynasty" but on steroids. Shamsher Singh (Anil Kapoor) is an Indian mobster living in exile in the Middle East with his extended family. Together they run an empire that peddles illegal arms and narcotics.

Shamsher's spoiled twin children, Sanjana (Daisy Shah) and Suraj (Saqib Saleem), resent the attention he gives to his nephew, Sikander (Salman Khan). Sikander is the favorite, the smart one who is always getting the twins out of trouble, with the help of Yash (Bobby Deol), the family henchman.

The film's central theme about family loyalty is at odds with its skewed, crime-pays morality. The Singhs make the Windsors look like paupers.

When the family isn't dodging bullets, knives and explosions, they're twirling about on the dance floor in elaborately choreographed sequences, singing about love. Sanjana is indifferent; Suraj is a feckless playboy; but Sikander and Yash are searching for that special someone.

Enter femme fatale Jessica (Jacqueline Fernandez), a con woman who seduces Sikander and Yash at the same time, with a little help from the scheming Suraj.

The love triangle is intertwined with largely bloodless action violence (often shot in slow motion) that erupts across the Middle East and as far away as Cambodia. D'Souza never misses an opportunity for the camera to linger lovingly over long-legged beauties, expensive hotel suites and fancy automobiles.

"Race 3" barrels along at breakneck speed for an exhausting 160 minutes, keeping the audience guessing with multiple double-crosses and goofy dialogue like, "Every coin has two sides. This one has four."

On the other hand, Sikander is given this pithy remark in dialogue with his archenemy: "Unfortunately there's no cure for stupidity. Even if you run the race alone you'll come in second."

The film contains relentless but mostly stylized violence, including gunplay and torture, a possible nonmarital encounter, some sensuality and a few crude and crass terms. The Catholic News Service classification is A-III -- adults. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.

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McAleer is a guest reviewer for Catholic News Service.

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CAPSULE REVIEW

"Race 3" (Yash Raj)

With this wild action thriller, in Hindi with English subtitles, director Remo D'Souza reboots the Bollywood franchise with a new cast and a stand-alone story. It's a whirlwind of a movie, part family soap opera, part James Bond adventure, and part "Dancing with the Stars." An Indian mobster (Anil Kapoor) lives in exile in the Middle East with his extended family, including his spoiled twins (Daisy Shah, Saqib Saleem). A love triangle among the gangster's nephew (Salman Khan), the family henchman (Bobby Deol) and a con woman (Jessica (Jacqueline Fernandez) plays out amid gun battles and explosions (often filmed in slow-motion), as well as on the dance floor in elaborately choreographed sequences. In the end, the film's central theme about family loyalty is at odds with its skewed morality according to which crime, in this case at least, pays very well indeed. Relentless but mostly stylized action violence, including gunplay and torture, a possible nonmarital encounter, some sensuality, a few crude and crass terms. The Catholic News Service classification is A-III -- adults. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.

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CLASSIFICATION

"Race 3" (Yash Raj) -- Catholic News Service classification, A-III -- adults. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.