12th Man (2022) :
Brief Review -
Jeethu Joseph forms a clean mystery thriller out of dirty characters. My instant memory of any mystery thriller having a roundtable investigation takes me back to William Powell's "The Thin Man" (1934). The next best thing I remember is Sidney Lumet's iconic "12 Angry Men" (1957). No matter how many films I have seen that came later, these two always stand on top, and I don't really think that any film will come up to this level. Jeethu Joseph's 12th Man has a similar theme but is set in an entirely different atmosphere and tone. The murder mystery starts with an interesting idea of exposing secrets, which seems far better than how other murder mysteries begin. The whole concept starts off on a clean note, or better yet, I say, with clean characters, but that's just an illusion. As we know, everyone has some secrets that they cannot share with their friends, partners, or family members, but this film makes it look so serious. Everyone among those 10 culprits and even the 11th dead person has something to hide, and it makes every character look very dirty. You lose connect and sympathy towards them, and that's the biggest issue with the film. Be it any character, a good friend, a loyal partner-male or female-or a friend of your partner, every single soul is impure. The plot reveals many filthy secrets, but the reactions on screen are too mild, while off screen, you as an audience start doubting the reliability of all the characters. However, the narrative has many twists and keeps you guessing throughout the two hours (out of 160 minutes) once the investigation begins. Mohanlal as the cop is good, and the other actors have done a decent job despite the busy and alternative framework. Joseph's thriller may not please your heart, but it definitely feeds your brain enough. Overall, a nice attempt despite the bad surroundings. Lotus in the mud, I guess.
RATING - 6.5/10*
By - #samthebestest.
