Officer on Duty

Jithu Ashraf's directorial debut, Officer on Duty, is a crime investigation thriller that revolves around various sexual as*aults, su*cides, and murders. Written by Shahi Kabir, the film starts off brilliantly, with an almost near-perfect first half that not only engages the audience but also delivers the thrill. However, while the second half still delivers, the introduction of commercial elements and a stretched screenplay prevent it from reaching its full potential. Jakes Bejoy once again delivers a brilliant score, and the music is commendable. The camerawork, editing, and sound design are also impressive.

Kunchacko Boban excels as the troubled yet diligent police officer, convincingly portraying a character disturbed by personal tragedy. Priyamani supports him well. The antagonist gang, led by Vishak Nair,does a good job, but at times, their portrayal becomes too over-the-top, veering into cliché territory. The rest of the cast performs decently. The action sequences are well-executed. The screenplay reveals the right information at the right time, though the commercial elements slightly detract from the impact. Overall,Officer on Duty is a very good thriller, though its second half follows a formulaic approach.

Nevertheless, definitely recommended.

OVERALL -6.5/10.

Movie that is unnecessarily dragged and full of unnecessary and unrealistic stunt sequences.

Poorly researched script, people who wrote it clearly don't understand drugs or social psychology and cognitive ability of drug users. Looks like the writers were just trying to take a dig on the Gen Z.

Lazy writing of characters with no grey elements. The moral compass of characters or their revenge arc does not make any sense.

Unnecessarily dragged, 3/4th of the movie could have been edited out. Unnecessary stunt scenes which could have easily been avoided. None of the cops seem to have guns in the movie.

Writers couldn't decide whether to make a suspense thriller or revenge story. As a result ended with nothing but garbage.

Ratings given for the movie do not make sense, absolutely not worth watching.

Shahi Kabir's most mainstream thriller screenplay (..thus far) largely works because of its strong performances and technical efforts. Yes, there are some usual cop movie tropes like the PTSD-induced protagonist, his family eventually coming under threat, rape-revenge-blackmail implementing baddies, and so on. But credit where it's due, this absolutely does NOT feel like a debut director's work. Jithu Ashraf (who also acts in a key role) understands the assignment and navigates the splendidly-paced screenplay in a non-linear manner, making most of the little details matter. Kunchacko Boban pulls off CI Harishankar like a seasoned veteran, letting his rugged body language do most of the heavy lifting. We learn of the character's past in a sufficiently effective flashback, and to some extent, such an evolution contributes to the physicality involved in the latter acts. The stylized gang of baddies, led by Vishak Nair, includes some interesting finds.

Roby Varghese Raj (director of Kannur Squad) is cranking the camera here, and his shaky, handheld approach works wonders for the chase and fight sequences. Chaman Chakko is now an editor in high demand, and the way he paces the film and weaves the action in between regular procedural scenes (and toys with contrasting lighting) is excellent. Jakes Bejoy uses a little too much Saw-inspired score, but he succeeds in delivering a solid soundtrack overall; a couple of soundbites are instant earworms.

Also, the women in the film (other than the victims) hold their ground. That goes for Priyamani, the two women antagonists, and even the little girl who plays Harishankar's younger daughter. A fight sequence set inside a mortuary is deliciously choreographed and shot. The final act does lose a bit of steam and reminds you of Memories, yet the film manages to keep you on edge. Though somewhat formulaic and predictable in places, I'll recommend Officer on Duty for those who enjoy intense, sporadically violent cop thrillers.

Wanna watch a movie that'll keep you with its thoughts for long nights? This movie is your destination. Sat with not much expectations but left the theatres with a whole lot of content , satisfaction and emotions.

It absolutely blew my mind with the flow of the storylines , how the dots were connected one by one. Not even a minute felt boring or long, the ending brought me to anxiousness and thrill as the scenes took twists and turns .

Covering one of the major issues and mixing it with emotions, drama, action and what not., made the movie "worth a watch".

Coming to the performance , saying I'm speechless would be a disregard. Even though I am short of words , I would say that their acting added the spice to the storyline which made it more gripping .

From the main lead to the villains , everyone served a huge meal of extraordinary performance .

From anger to sorrow , everyone played it in the best way possible.

Its a 10 for me , cuz that's all it has to get. If you are a crime thriller stan, its highly recommended ! Once you watch it , you will definitely relate to these words. Hats off to the filmmakers and the cast.

The movie is overall engaging, especially the investigation track and the lead actor's performance. Kunchacko Boban portrays his character with a strong screen presence and depth.

However, one particular scene early in the film really stood out-in a negative way. When the hero hits a pregnant woman in the stomach, it immediately damages the audience's perception of his character. No matter how noble his actions are later, that one moment makes it difficult to fully root for him.....

It's a good watch for crime thriller fans, but I feel that scene could have been handled with more sensitivity.