Starring Aamir Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, and Katrina Kaif. In Hindi with English subtitles. Rated PG. Now playing

In the third installment of the benchmark Dhoom franchise we fully expect a grand spectacle with special effects, stunts, and car chases that defy all rules of gravity and human agility. Dhoom 3 does not disappoint. Much like the circus featured within the story, this film is all about superbly executed showmanship.

Droll Mumbai police officer Jai Dixit (Abhishek Bachchan) and his semiliterate sidekick Ali (Uday Chopra) are called to Chicago to solve a series of bank heists in which the thief has left a signature in Hindi. Decades earlier, the owner of the bank had foreclosed on a loan held by “The Great Indian Circus”. This loss triggered the ringmaster’s suicide, which his grown son, Sahir (Aamir Khan), is determined to avenge. While planning these elaborate heists, Sahir reopens his father’s circus and hires Aaliya (Katrina Kaif) as the lead female performer.

The story contains a few shocking twists, but the plot is merely the framework for lengthy vehicle chases, of every imaginable kind, that whip through the downtown core of Chicago—a city that absolutely shines in Dhoom 3. The circus scenes provide unbelievable acrobatic dance sequences the likes of which we have never before seen from Khan.

This is his first turn as a villain, and while his permascowl begins to irritate, one is easily distracted by the sheer core strength that he displays. (His trainer should get his own billing in the film.) Kaif keeps up with the gymnastic dance numbers but is only there to have the plot move around her.

The ubiquitous theme music is overused throughout the score, but the songs “Malang”, “Kamli”, and the instrumental “Dhoom Tap” stand out. This is not a complex film, but it has enough thrills to make it ideal holiday escapism.