arungeorge13

Magizh Thirumeni reimagines Breakdown for Indian audiences, but given the film is completely shot abroad (in Azerbaijan & Thailand), the Indianness is restricted to the lead characters. This itself can lead to a disconnect between the characters and the audience, but Magizh gives it just about enough flavour and seasoning to keep the film engrossing. When I say flavour and seasoning, I don't mean it in the "masala movie" sense. Breakdown was a clean and crisp action thriller centered around a kidnapping, with a fantastic Kurt Russell spearheading the proceedings. Vidaamuyarchi takes the core of the aforementioned flick and adds some layers, characters, songs, and subplots. Do these extra fittings bode well for the film overall? Not really.

For instance, Ajith Kumar takes a long while to become the Batman to Arjun's Joker and Regina's Harley Quinn when it could have been executed sooner and with greater impact. The first 20-30 minutes set up the characters of AK and Trisha in the style of a yesteryear GVM romance, though nothing is noteworthy in this section except for both the leads looking dashing. Right from the get-go, this doesn't feel like a film made for fans of Ajith, as the cinema hall went silent for the entirety of the first half.

When the thriller bit got going, the film had me hooked. Most of Breakdown's first act takes place in this film's pre-interval portions. The Azerbaijan terrain looks amazing on screen, and DoP Om Prakash has captured both the locales and characters in a terrific fashion. The Azerbaijani actors, as expected, aren't great and falter especially in the second half. An entire (domestic abuse) subplot regarding an Azerbaijani family plays out in front of us with absolutely no effect. The side villains (Aarav Kizar and a few others) are also poorly enacted, making them AK's beat-em-up fodder in the second half. Supreme Sundar is behind the stunts-that Thallumaala car fight gets an encore here.

AK looks and moves considerably slower in the film compared to Thunivu, and while that works in not portraying him as an invincible beast, I feel some of the action choreography could've been executed with greater finesse, especially in the climactic showdowns (including avoiding the typical, dilapidated factory-like location). Also, the writing goes kinda haywire with the villain origin stories and the previously mentioned useless subplot, extending the runtime further. The worst (and most confused) writing treatment is meted out to Trisha, whose character is used as a red herring at one point. Some needless twists further water down the narrative.

I think Breakdown has a more powerful (way more thrilling + practically difficult) action-packed final act compared to Vidaamuyarchi, which is very straightforward 2020s-Tamil-cinema-esque. Anirudh once again delivers spectacularly when it comes to the background score, and among the songs, Pathikichu is an absolute treat to listen to in Dolby Atmos. On the whole, I feel Vidaamuyarchi worked better than most of AK's recent outings for me, yet is not a patch on the much superior Breakdown.

P. S. Arjun scores over AK in their dialogue-heavy scenes.

P. P. S. Regina Cassandra, as a femme fatale, is HOT🔥, and the prosthetic work in her final scene is well done.

After a pretty long while, I got to see the kind of Malayalam cinema that's very rooted to its region (Kollam, in this case). The lead characters (Basil as gold dealer PP Ajesh, Lijo Mol Jose as the bride Steffi Graf, Sajin Gopu as the groom Mariyano, and Anand Manmadhan as the bride's brother Bruno) are all established in a slow-and-steady fashion. One thing leads to another, and gold needs to be arranged (as dowry) for a wedding. Yes, we're talking about "progressive", "modernist", and "100% literate" Kerala. The transactional nature of weddings still prevails in several parts of the state (if that's unbeknownst to many), with the brides often having no say in the actual event.. and that also includes the choice of accepting or rejecting a groom. There have been several films set in this story backdrop, but what makes Ponman unique is its approach, its locations, and most significantly, the shades attributed to its leads.

Ajesh is such an interesting protagonist, and the way the screenplay moulds him into someone who's willing to take risks and go any lengths to get his job done, is spectacular. This is one role where I felt Basil Joseph's acting chops were put to excellent use, as the character is one that evolves, and the arc is justified. He isn't the invincible hero; heck if you tell me prior to watching the film that there are physical altercations between the slender Ajesh and the hulking Mariyano with the former coming out on top, I would immediately be exclaiming "NO WAY!". Not only does the film deliver splendily in that regard, but what's even more interesting is how the writing builds to this particular boiling point.

In most movies that involve dowries, the leading lady is often relegated to someone who sits in a corner and cries the whole time. But Steffi is written (and performed) in a very candid, very responsive manner. The dialogues spoken by her and Ajesh are concentrated and carry a lot of depth, making their scenes memorable. Their deliciously first-rate performances also make it worth your while. DoP Sanu John Varghese returns to Malayalam after Malik and Ariyippu with a bang-those night shots against the Kollam backwaters look absolutely brilliant. The way he captures a muddy fight sequence between Ajesh and Mariyano is also incredible. Justin Varghese comes up with a soundtrack that seamlessly blends in with the locations, the characters, and their dire circumstances. I have not read Nalanchu cheruppakkar by G. R. Indugopan, but my gut says that director (and production designer) Jothish Shankar did great justice to the source material. Also, the subtle underlining of dank humour in several scenes (special mention goes to Deepak Parambol as Jesus, in two different scenes) REALLY worked for me.

On the downside, even at 2 hours, the first half can come across as slightly draggy (i.e. Until the core conflict emerges) because the film is super-focused on laying out its key characters and their somewhat familiar dilemmas. This, however, gets solid payoffs in the second half, making the overall experience a good one!

Night Call is a taut, well-shot, well-acted action thriller that's also the first feature film by Belgian director Michiel Blanchart. It's honestly hard to believe that it's his first film-this carries the tension of a Safdie Brothers thriller, and the action is slick, realistic, and superbly executed (fully taking place at night). Blanchart cites Duel, Training Day, and Collateral as inspirations. For an actioner, Night Call also deserves praise for actually bothering to develop its lead characters (and their respective arcs) and set it against the backdrop of a BLM protest. Great performances from its core cast-Jonathan Feltre (Mady), Natacha Krief (Claire), Jonas Bloquet (Theo), and Romain Duris (Yannick). There are some clichés too, such as the "big bad villain in a suit", a car chase that ends in a crash, etcetera. But that doesn't stop it from being one of the most impressive directorial debuts in recent times.