On the bright side, we get..
- One of Vijay's finest performances (not as a star, but as an actor): The first half is replete with moments where Vijay showcases emotions as a doting father, husband, cafe owner, and animal lover.
- The writing in the first half: Superb, even when it's A History of Violence contextualized for Tamil sensibilities. Every scene carries a decent tempo, and the developments make you sit up. The whole hyena angle is beautifully executed, and its payoff in the climax is wonderful. The title card placement is a nice creative touch on Lokesh's part.
- Brilliant cinematography: Manoj Paramahamsa's frames wonderfully capture the Kashmiri locales (even though the film is "set" in Theog, Himachal Pradesh) with Parthipan's (Vijay) cafe looking remarkably aesthetic in that first fight sequence. When the film gets action-heavy, the use of the mocobot camera is put to fine effect.
- A pretty solid supporting cast: Whether it be Trisha (who looks absolutely dashing), Gautham Menon, Arjun Sarja, Sanjay Dutt, or Mathew Thomas, they deliver what the writing expects them to. It's just that the antagonists (Dutt, Sarja) lack sufficient fleshing out for us to care about their motives.
- Anirudh's music: While I feel he overdid the score a bit in the film, the elevation points (particularly a 10-15 minute pre-interval stretch) are fabulous, courtesy of his compositions. Badass Ma is the clear standout, but Naa Ready also worked thanks to the choreography. The English bits in the score were tremendous, and I can't wait to blast them on Spotify for my workouts once the OST is uploaded.
On the not-so-bright side, we get..
- A lackluster second half: The whole flashback segment suffers from tepid writing. A key character is introduced only to be killed off just a few minutes later. The writing doesn't give us any time to register this character, let alone connect emotionally. This then becomes the driving force for the protagonist's subsequent actions. The whole "identity crisis" aspect also wears out, because there's only so much you can do with it. In totality, this is a 75% Lokesh, 25% Vijay film.
- Some tacky CGI: While this doesn't hamper the viewing experience overall, you'll come across not-so-great CG work in certain parts. This is especially the case in a car chase sequence.
- The LCU connect: Felt somewhat inorganic and forced. Given the film takes place geographically far away from the proceedings of the LCU, I felt it stood a better chance as a standalone piece. There are some interesting cameos yes, but nothing that gives you the wowness of Vikram, or even Kaithi for that matter. Lokesh definitely reserved his best for Aandavar.
Middle-of-the-road aspect: Anbariv masters are quite well-known for their innovative set pieces. I loved the first set piece (at the cafe) - it felt raw and real, with fantastic cuts and zero slo-mo. There are plenty more in various locations, but only the climactic showdown (which also includes a 1v1 between Vijay and Arjun) lingers in my mind after leaving the cinema hall.
P. S. - I enjoyed Loki's tribute to Sly Stallone. If you know, you know.
