Villain

Summary (no spoilers)

This movie is based on a killer who teases the entire police department with his flawless crimes and gets chased by a retired cop whose past influences the killers future with the cat and mouse game getting out of hand.

My Review (no spoilers)

There was nothing wrong in the directing or acting in this movie but it was the writing. I felt the script was incomplete. They just rushed thru to finish the movie with the most lame ending ever. One outstanding acting was of Manju Warrier where her role was done to perfection no wonder she is called the lady superstar of Malayalam movie industry. Mohanlal was the other one with his perfect acting, explosive action and mind blowing dialogues kept the viewers pinned to the screen. I felt Vishal, Hansika and Raashi were all underutilized for their respective roles in this movie. I liked one song from this movie named "Kandittum Kandittum" it would be in my head for a while. I think Mohanlal and Vishal needed a good BGM for their roles too. Overall had a promising start but went downhill later on.

My Recommendation

Yes, I would say to watch out for Mohanlal and Manju Warriers acting combo.

My Rating

6/10

The intentions of Villain as a film are wise but the shoddy execution makes it look overtly pretentious. Director B. Unnikrishnan directs Mohanlal as this rugged, smart law enforcement officer who is forced to come out of his voluntary retirement to solve a case that seems ordinarily stupid. The setup is very lukewarm at first, supported by Raashi Khanna's tasteless performance. One is supposed to get hooked into such crime thrillers at the beginning itself but instead here we are cringing over Mohanlal's snobbish character. The power in the film is introduced when we enter the protagonist's past and realize how the writers have messed up the plot by trying to look smart and psychological. Villain aspires to show you the evil side of human beings but it succeeds only in showing the ugly acting of Vishal, who graces the screen like the plague. Short-lived characters played by Manju Warrier and Hansika Motwani hardly help as the plot, trying to look intellectual, goes down the hill in the second half. The aim of the film is to show that every hero has a villain and vice versa, but I'm not really convinced. Villain is easily the most disappointing films of 2017. TN.

For a movie that has created so much hype right from its initial making stages, Villain is a botched effort of a psychological thriller. No novelty in presentation , no mystery around the killer and an overall lack of substance - amidst all the reasons to skip this flick, it is the towering presence of Mohanlal and his timeless acting prowess that makes the movie a onetime watch. 'Acting his Age' is a beaten to death critique of our two superstars, but this film character (not black or white, but grey, as the movie itself speaks!) corresponds to the lead actors age and charisma wonderfully. Showing amazing restraint in his bravura act of a broken down cop, Lal emotes so well in the hospital scenes and in his overall non-heroic cop avatar. Some scenes in the hospital bed have shades of Lal's Sathyanathan character from Sadayam movie (1992), the whole lot of mental trauma bringing out the dare to commit the unthinkable. The absence of mass element and the way he has underplayed the character (something for which I rate him better than Kamal Hassan) is sure a promise of many more realistic acts expected from this gifted man, a-la his best performances during the 90's.

" Villain" has succeeded to fulfill the expectations of the people. In the beginning, one wonders, why the police officer has availed long leave only to join duties, which turned out to be the last day of his career. Later on one realize, because of being in police force, he lost his wife and daughter, there by losing the precious family life. He himself was witness to the horrible sufferings of his wife, the heart- rending hospital scenes of which will haunt the viewers for long.

Villain belongs to Mohanlal, his role as the police officer stands tall because of his brilliance.His look in the movie with white beard,his attire and the body language,clearly is a reflection of his mental sufferings.This is being reflected on his face each time he appears on the screen. He is a terrible loser but he does not allow those things come in the way of the task he has undertaken.Manju Warrier shines in her role, as Neelima, even though she has a cameo role to play.She has brilliantly played her role with ease,which was worth watching. Vinod Jose as Iqbal has been a success, his success story,undoubtedly was his natural acting.

The strong relationship & bonding,involving husband-wife and their daughter has been beautifully crafted in this movie. It was heart- breaking to watch the relationship being broken due to unfortunate circumstances.

The events that unfolds after the murder,with the hapless police failing to make the breakthrough and approaching the retired police officer for his assistance to solve the mystery murder and Mathew Manjuran the impeccable ex-police officer agreeing to the proposal,came much to the liking of the viewers. The climax scene unravels some bitter truths,much to the surprise of the viewers.

Villain has been decorated with powerful dialogues, not often been heard in other movies. There has been many dialogues in English,which has been incorporated at the right place, well suiting to the situation. But the back ground score, on a few occasions,piercing our ears,leaving dialogues inaudible.

The film also brings to the fore the message that villains are not born, but being made, and there hides a hero in every villain and vice verse.

It is a crime thriller worth to watch. But one can not leave aside the emotional aspect of the movie which goes deep in to hearts of viewers for which Director B.Unnikrishnan deserves accolades.

One has to go and watch this movie. Villain has the stuff which viewers never dislike.

Villain is such a huge disappointment. It had so much potential even though the storyline was something we've seen before. There were some cliche breaking too. A hero who walks away from his revenge is may be something never happened before in Malayalam movies.

The poorly written screenplay is the real villain in this movie. The first half was decent. B Unnikrishnan shifted to top gear all of sudden. The writing was so impatient. How Mathew(Mohanlal) finds out about the murderer is too convenient. Then there are the songs. I don't know what's with Unnikrishnan and bad rock songs. I guess you know about "Aaranu Nee" from Grandmaster. He could've easily shown she's part of a band without using a whole song. The rest of the songs just increases the duration and serves no purpose. Kandittum Kanditum was good though.

Mohanlal's performance stands out. That was casting done well. His physique, the grey beard suits a veteran police officer who's been through a lot. Mathew Manjooran is one of the most underrated performance in Malayalam cinema. Watch Villain for that reason alone.