RDX: Robert Dony Xavier

This film has received all sorts of acclaim since Onam and has almost been this sleeper hit. Now it's out on Netflix, had to watch it and I'm probably late so I'll skip the plot.

The plot is almost generic, something you might watched over the years in B/T/Kollywood. Not sure if Mollywood has made this before. The parts that were good about the generic plot - relatable friendship, you care for the 3 characters. The action - decent enough to not be over-the-top; some sequences were well done. Other than that, I.....don't know if I enjoyed anything else....so it's safe to say that I didn't enjoy the film as much as everybody else seems to have.

I don't know if the hype and the praise for this film have been so high because this was a 'breath of fresh air' in Mollywood or if King of Kotha high such high expectations and bombed, so everybody went to watch RDX and had a good time...? Not sure but there's only one way to find out - I gotta watch KOK.

RDX offers good action sequences. But the script fails to impress. Malayalam film industry is going through a hard phase. We have been provided with too many poor movies which lead us to a point where we get so excited or impressed over slightly above average movies.

Most of the scenes felt illogical because of the situations and the things they do. The main character's friends are not there. Their uncle who's a policeman is not there. It's always just the 3 leads fighting their own battles. The climax made no sense at all. I'm not gonna spoil anything.

The song was unnecessary. Pepe was so good and so was Shane. Neeraj did great with action scenes but lacks the mass aura.

It works better if you watch with an electrifying crowd.

RDX has its fair share of problems, maybe because it's the director's debut, but it had more than enough to look over those for me, and since even with films like "Thallumaala" such proper action-oriented films still are not always sight that is seen in Malayalam. The film has what feels like a template 90s Malayalam action movie story and for that, they chose the early 2000s as the time period. But those 90s movies were more about the firebrand dialogues that would hype you up which would end with a bang of action, which, even though it wouldn't look that great, was not bad, and was entertaining enough for the time. Here, they chose to showcase the villains in a way that we are already enraged enough, so the story flows with just enough exposition and the rest would naturally lead to the action scenes, and then filled it with a variety of settings for the action. Neeraj, gets the least focus among the three, as Xavier but his dancing skills are converted into the nunchuck-wielding martial artist and works great with what he has. Anthony Pepe, following his flavour of action from "Angamaly Diaries" and "Ajagajantharam" shows off his "naadan thallu" and comes off as the hardest hitting "boxer". Shane as Robert does look like the hero here, pulling off romance and action without any problem and also clearly showing he's much more than a "depression star" as many like to call him. The three of them made a great team together and the mere presence of Babu Antony, the OG martial artist star of Malayalam makes it a great experience (even though I would have really liked it if he had more to do in it).

Now, the movie does have a lot of problems. The flashback love story was a bit dragging even though the 90s music filling that space and hitting us with nostalgia was a clever way to not make it feel too laggy. The action by Anbarivu was great but the cinematography and the editing of the action scenes themselves could have been a lot better.

However, despite all the problems, it was a great experience watching something that simultaneously satisfies those who miss the 90s and those who want a decent action movie of modern times.

Robert, Dony and Xavier are basically bros who seek an opportunity to create mayhem. They are martial artists too, trained by Xavier's father while Robert and Dony's father Philip doesn't approve their shenanigans. After an hiatus involving non-violence, their casual brawl from the past puts the family at risk and RDX have to take matters into their hands to safeguard the family. But it's not an ordinary brawl anymore and RDX have to realize, it will take a lot of nunchucks, punches and kicks to take down this opponent.

It's a threadbare storyline and there isn't much innovative story wise. It's a revenge story and all that matters are the six action set pieces choreographed by Anbariv and good background score to elevate them. The first half was pretty mediocre with the three action scenes not really leaving any impact and the actors too try to make merry from what's offered to them. The story moves in a decent pace and the sole advantage is that the first half doesn't drag.

The second half is where the film shines with three terrific action scenes which raises the bar as well as tension. It's all non-stop action here and it stays entertaining till the end. The trio gets a lot of slow motion shots to show their heroic side, with Neeraj Madhav using the nunchucks in the best way possible while Antony Varghese packing solid punches. It is Shane Nigam who is given ample scope to spread his charms while showcasing his action skills. The problem is they aren't the typical martial artists and thankfully the well conceived action scenes, elevate them too.

RDX is a well established Action packed movie following the footsteps of Ajagajanthiram & Thallumala. Anbraivu's action is the major highlight of the movie with impeccable action scenes. Anthony Varghese, Neeraj Madhav & Shane Nigam, the male protagonists performed whole throughout the movie with slight upper hand by Neeraj & Shane. Background score & songs by Sam CS also helped the movie to be more interesting. The antagonists played by Vishnu Agasthya, Sandeep, etc delivered their finest performance and I will consider that as the backbone of the movie. Family sentiments and romance was perfectly fused with the high octane action. Cinematography by Alex. J. Pulickal was top notch. Editing by Chaman Chacko deserves a loud round of applause for making RDX a crispy explosive one.

The lady characters played by Mahima, Aimie, Mala Parvathi deserves special mention.

All in Whole, as the name denotes.. RDX is mass destruction Explosive.

Watch it in theaters for the amazing experience.

8.7 on 10 is my score.