Thug Life

Thug Life fails to live up to its hype, offering a predictable and disjointed narrative that lacks both emotional depth and originality. Despite Kamal Haasan's presence, the film suffers from weak writing, uninspired performances, and dialogues that feel forced rather than impactful. The pacing is uneven, dragging in places where it should thrill, and the action sequences, instead of adding excitement, come off as exaggerated and unconvincing. Visually underwhelming and poorly edited, the film lacks the grit and intensity one expects from a crime drama. Ultimately, Thug Life is a missed opportunity that leaves no lasting impression-neither entertaining nor meaningful.

Thug Life (2025) - 40%

One Of The Most Shocking Letdowns Of 2025... I Still Don't Want To Believe That Legends Mani Ratnam & Kamal Haasan Who Have Given Us The Masterpiece Nayakan Collaborated For Such A Film... What Had Happened To Them While Writing & Filming This One... Didn't They Felt What They Are Making? Also What An Actress Like Trisha Was Doing In The Film Is Beyond My Understanding... She Had Been Completely Wasted & Same Goes For Ali Fazal... A. R. Rahman's Music Is Good, But The Background Score Many A Times Doesn't Match The Visuals On Screen... The Character Of Silambarasan & Haasan Aren't Even Developed Properly & As A Result, You Do Not Connect With Them At Any Juncture In The Film... The Few Plus Points Apart From Music Are Cinematography & Action Blocks... Overall, This One's A Huge Disappointment... Avoid At All Cost.

Thug Life isn't a good film, unfortunately. The basic idea and characters had real potential, but it feels like they never got developed into a solid story. Instead, a bunch of random, outdated elements were shoved in, making it feel more confused than compelling.

The screenplay is dull and lifeless-not a single scene leaves an impact, and none of the character arcs feel complete or satisfying. A few songs are genuinely good... but guess what? They got edited out. The background score works in a couple of places but mostly stays below average.

Casting? A total mismatch. It honestly feels like tier-two actors would've done a better job. Even Kamal Haasan and Trisha don't really shine here. The only one who makes an impression is Aishwarya Lekshmi-and she's barely in the film. Shimbu and Trisha at least look good; their makeup department deserves a pat on the back.

The cinematography and sets are a treat, though-they clearly got the best part of the budget. But when it comes to direction, it really doesn't feel like Maniratnam was behind the camera. Maybe an assistant was calling the shots this time? The "Sugar Baby" song also feels oddly put together, and the title line seems like it was slapped on during post-production.

Overall? Not worth your time. Maybe skip it and rewatch one of Maniratnam's classics instead.

I didn't expect this from the goated combo at all. Why just why did they have to disappoint us to this extent. Ts so bad that I who had never shared a review had to vent it out right now coz it made me doubt my life's purpose and question my existence while watching this. Seriously... Never putting my trust and never getting my hopes up for any other movies anymore.

Bruh just retire ffs. Have you guys not hoarded enough? Just give way for new gen talents. That would be the biggest help Kamal and Mani saar could do to the betterment of tamil cinema. Consider it rude or whatever but I don't care. I'm too fed up. This is absolutely garbage.

When you name a film Thug Life, a name chosen by the masters of cinema and filmmakers, and that too using a culturally iconic term like Thug Life, it comes with expectations. The term represents how society mistreats or neglects certain groups. That neglect creates cycles of violence, trauma, and systemic failure that hurt everyone.

The term is often glorified or associated with pride and criminal life, but it carries a much deeper meaning. It is about survival. So naturally, you can imagine the expectations and feelings it invokes.

You need to know that I am an ardent Mani Ratnam fan. My cultural and artistic foundations were built on his films. I grew up in a world of films where he dominated. He was my icon. But revered icon or not, a spade has to be called a spade.

Thug Life felt like self-indulgent hero worship. The screenplay was extremely weak, with absolutely no plot or motivation. Sure, it was well-made in terms of production value, but that is all. Mani Ratnam is known for being a master storyteller who uses layered plot points to drive a narrative and evoke emotion. Here, it was almost appalling to see the same man rely so heavily on expositions, so many of them, even for useless points. It felt insulting to a point.

Kamal probably had his fill. Like I said, this felt like self-indulgence, coming hot off Indian 2. If anyone gave a truly memorable performance, it was the women in the film. All of them except Trisha...and that is no fault of hers.

The only two saving graces were the cinematography and A. R. Rahman's music. Rahman went god level with the score.

It makes me so uncomfortable to say this, but this has got to be Mani Ratnam's worst film ever in terms of storytelling and narrative. I need to go watch Nayakan, Aayutha Ezhuthu, and Kannathil Muthamittal again to recover.