Anjaam Pathiraa

After a long time (read 'after Drishyam'), Malayalam film industry has produced yet another gem of a crime thriller. The story is about an aspirong criminologist who gets involved with the police in catching a serial killer who goes about killing policemen one by one. It is also said to be inspired by true events.

Right from the first shot itself, the director wastes no time in putting the characters & plot into motion. With each passing scene, you're drawn deeper into the mystery of the killers, who they & what do they want. The pacing is immensely good, the dialogues are realistic & crisp, the editing is superb & the background score is chilling enough. The visuals are powerful & borderline spooky at times. All the actors are in fine form & convince us enough to invest all our attention into the plot. In the first half, there literally isn't one single moment where you're not thinking 'What's next?'. Credit goes to the script writers for writing a gripping plot that keeps you engaged throughout the movie. The mystery unravels well & is quite satisfactory in the end.

The movie isn't without its cons. The regular usage of the term 'psychology' in the movie isn't validated as the director chooses not to explore much in that direction in the second half. This causes discrepancies in the thought process in the first half amd second half of the movie. Also, the second half gets a tad bit dragged because it carries the burden of revealing all the answers to the questions it raises in the first half. Apart from this, the movie is an excellent crime thriller & a MUST WATCH

Anjaam Pathira Perfectly casted, fantastic team work movie.The killer who challenges the entire department,Anwar Husain looking for clues and phyco deviating more and more day by day.The killer with a motive, pattern, past, reason for his brutal murders.Fast paced movie good climax fantastic movie.The main traits that we should know is shyju Khalid camera,midhun direction,sushin syam music made the movie ANJAAM PATIRA A DREADFUL PATIRA.....

The director that we knew and loved from the Aadu series makes a roaring comeback with Anjaam Pathiraa, a murder mystery thriller that keeps you hooked throughout. Midhun Manuel Thomas deftly combines a haunting background score with smart visuals and an in-form Kunjacko Boban to gradually build suspense and intrigue, delivering the best Malayalam crime thriller I have seen since Memories and Drishyam.

Although there are significant plot holes towards the end, the well written characters and their back stories leave you wanting for more. Loved the subtle homages to Hannibal Lecter and to the Creep series in the second half.

An engaging thriller and surely the first big hit of 2020!

I am marvelled at South's ability to churn out quality thrillers one after another. Anjaam Pathira (The Fifth Midnight) is the latest Malayalam film to be a part of this bandwagon.

The story is about a shadowy serial killer who targets Cops!!! After a string of gruesome killings, Kochi Police DCP Catherine (Unnimaya) upon the advice of ACP Anil (Jinu) ropes in criminal psychologist Anwar Hussain (Kunchako) to help them crack the case. Together they begin the hunt for the perpetrator who employs brutal and unique methods for committing the murders.

I have always believed grit is the most vital component of a thriller. The moment you lose the tempo, the story is bound to lose the edge. This is where the movie scores brilliantly. Writer Director Midhun Manuel Thomas renders a taut tale where we come across ghastly crimes, compelling scenes and sharp twists & turns at every crucial juncture. This engaging treatment which doesn't allow the tone to slack off is the movie's strongest asset. Yes there are flaws. There are certain minute details which call for an explanation (the figurine story, the burning incident hypothesis). English dialogues appeared a bit contrived. There are a few cliches which could have been avoided.

But Anjaam Pathira overall remains a riveting tale of suspense where the right elements are combined in apt proportions. There are horrific crimes, startling revelations and a good backstory. One can't help drawing a parallel to the Tamil movie Ratsasan (The Devil). While Ratsasan had a more interesting plot development, Anjaam Pathira's ending is better fleshed out.

You will love it.

The tense atmosphere of Anjaam Pathiraa (Fifth Midnight), thanks to the brilliant background score by Sushin Shyam and the overall production setup, is what makes it a gripping thriller worth enjoying while sitting at the edge of your seat without having the luxury to pay a visit to the washroom. Because if you choose to do so (or to get the popcorn), the intended impact will be lost. Midhun Manuel Thomas must have envisioned it that way as he wrote a mystery about a possible killer and police procedural involving the killings. More than the underlying themes that are related to crime, it is the procedural involving cops and other investigative elements (where Kunchacko Boban plays a criminologist) that keep you hooked, and makes this mystery thriller a unique affair for Mollywood consumers. There's enough going on here and with a crisp acting performance and sufficient attention to details, I can easily call Anjaam Pathiraa one of the best films to come out this year. We don't get such thrillers often. If you have the ability to pass certain forgivable issues with the plot, the dialogue delivery, and occasional mishaps involving placement and timing of humour, this is going to be a treat. TN.