Jailer

FDFS @ PVR PXL.

Thalaivar Mass, Lalettan Mass, Shiva Rajkumar Mass!! This as obvious is for the masses and Nelson delivers a stylish blockbuster with his own format of making. As usual comedy injected at the serious points as a Nelson signature. Even though just cameos, Lalettan and Shiva Rajkumar got some amazing screen pres nce. Should have to say Nelson can't find a better villain that Vinayakan. He did such an amazing performance that it actually overshadowded everyone else. Action sequences with less cringey kicks and more firepower. This will be a defenite blockbuster. Thalaivar fever is on.

After the colossal misfire that was Beast, Nelson strikes back with a well-cooked, deliciously violent entertainer that once again features a bunch of quirky characters and his signature dry/dark humour, coupled with spectacular fan service. I don't want to get into the plot or its details. Let's just talk about what worked and what didn't. The story is actually pretty straightforward. Nelson's films have this mission-driven approach, and that's the case here too.

WHAT WORKED:

• The treatment of the protagonist: This is an area where multiple directors have struggled in recent times. There are soft, emotional moments, and then, there are HIGH VOLTAGE MASS moments. Muthuvel Pandian is the kind of protagonist that's tailormade for Thalaivar. He doesn't have to beat up a hundred goons to prove how powerful he is. He has connections, and knows how to effectively use them.

• Anirudh's score: Such an integral component to this film's success. In a film with several elevation moments, the score had a lot to live up to. And it did! The next time you see "An Anirudh Musical" title card, you know it's gonna make a huge difference to the overall viewing experience.

• The cameos: It took several years and a Tamil director to present Mohanlal in such a classy avatar that made you crave his character's presence more. Shivanna's cameo is also incredibly placed and superbly executed in the climactic showdown. Jackie Shroff shows up post-interval in a pivotal flashback sequence, and he also gets his shining moment. Furthermore, the cameos are actually written into the screenplay quite well.

• The portrayal of the antagonist: Vinayakan's Varman is an extremely violent and eccentric antagonist. For this guy to stand up against Muthuvel (and his connections), we feel he's weak somewhere. But the character is written in such a way that he somehow keeps getting the upper hand. Varman is one of the most vicious antagonists you'll see in any Rajini movie, subtly transitioning between someone who dips his enemies in sulphuric acid and simultaneously breaking into a dance with his gang. Fantastic performance by Vinayakan - that's all I can say!

• The big screen experience: Such a clichéd thing to say in a review, but a film like this really needs to be experienced in a packed crowd, with all the hoots, cheers, and screams. It is packaged in such a way as to elicit all of these, alongside some incredible goosebump moments. The climax is absolutely terrific; the tail-end takes a route that's not usually taken in Rajini movies. Also, please don't bring kids/infants to this flick and ruin it for everyone.

WHAT DIDN'T WORK:

• Casual misogyny: This has been repetitive on Nelson's part, since KoKo. The women characters (including that of Ramya Krishnan) are conveniently pushed aside for Rajini & Co. To shine. They're perceived heavily through the male gaze and only act as placeholders. It wouldn't have hurt to attribute some heft to Ramya Krishnan's character (Muthu's wife). Give her some powerful dialogues, at least, mate!

• Subplots: The subplot involving Blast Mohan (Sunil), Kamna (Tamannah) and those guys felt like a random addition. Even the Kaavala song is not the sizzling wonder you probably expected. Many might find Redin Kingsley wholly annoying. I wasn't one of those, but I can understand if that's the case. Even the quality of humour took a dip here when compared with the antics of Yogi Babu and VTV Ganesh in the first half.

Concluding note -

I think Jailer is majorly for those who have grown up watching Rajini movies (sorry, Gen Z), but Nelson hasn't made any major compromises in the way he wanted to tell this particular story. From a storytelling standpoint, it isn't as refreshing as KoKo or unique as Doctor, but it also comes with that special sauce that was heavily lacking in Beast.

Everybody gangsta until Rajinikanth graciously walks in through a dense fog holding a freaking machete in his hands; even at the age of 72, this man seems to carry swagger like no one else.

When it solely comes to asserting sheer dominance on screen, very few come close, let alone matching up to him! I absolutely adored him here.

Now, as far as the movie is concerned, I have mixed feelings, mainly because the two halves seemed like two different films merged into one.

The first half is remarkable; I loved how it built up slowly but gradually picked up the pace and offered an astounding interval block. However, the second half fails to sustain the momentum and struggles to keep the intensity up; as a result, most of the film's second half comes across as sloppy and cluttered.

I did cherish the climactic portion, though. The pure display of unadulterated charm and swagger from all three veterans was a sight to behold!

Let's talk about the cast and performances First: Rajinikanth, man, he's not just playing a role that fits his age, he's totally killin' it. The first half, it's all about him - his presence, that smile, his unique quirks, and the intensity he brings, it's all fire. Yogi Babu adds some extra fun when he's sharing the screen with Thalivar.

Vinayakan, he's got that classic villain vibe, even if the role itself is a bit familiar.

Ramya Krishna, she's doin' the conventional housewife thing, but she ain't got much going on in her scenes, unfortunately.

We've also got some cameo appearances from legends like Mohanlal, Jackie Shroff, and Shiva Rajkumar. Tamannaah Bhatia's in there too, but that song on screen, man, it doesn't hit like it did in the trailers.

Now, on the technical side, the cinematography is straight up awesome. Those fight scenes indoors, they're somethin' special. The whole production is top-notch, gotta give 'em props for that.

Anirudh's music, both the background score and the songs, they hold this film together. No doubt about it.

The highlights, let's talk about those. The first half is lit, Rajinikanth is on fire, and Anirudh's music is bangin'.

But there are some drawbacks, no doubt. Sunil's part, it's a snoozer, and the second half, it gets a bit routine, slow-paced moments and all.

Now, the movie analysis, "Jailer" starts off strong, man. Rajinikanth as a retired police officer, cool and all, but when his son gets kidnapped, he goes all out, becoming this angry old dude, changing the whole game. From there, it's a ride.

Nelson, the director, he's got some killer sequences for Rajinikanth, especially the ones with Yogi Babu. Rajinikanth's comedy skills are on point, and the fight scene in his house, where his wife and daughter-in-law are just chillin' at the dining table, that's a standout moment, no doubt.

The intermission comes, and you're thinkin', this is gonna be like Kamal Haasan's "Vikram," a real thrill. First half is that good. Action, comedy, family moments, it's got it all, and the intermission climax gets you hyped up.

But the second half, it's a different story. It falls into that formulaic mass-entertainer groove. We're talkin' Rajinikanth's jailer backstory, a comedy bit with Sunil and Tamannaah, super long fight scenes, and so on.

Honestly, it's a bit of a drag. Tamannaah's song "Kaavaalaa" blew up on YouTube, but in the movie, it's not the same, man. It's on Sunil and Tamannaah, not the epic duet with Rajinikanth like we wanted.

Even the parts with other superstars like Shiva Rajkumar and Mohanlal, they're more about heroism than pushing the plot forward.

But hey, the second half comes through with a killer climax, so it's got that goin' for it.

It seems that having tentpole actors from other language industries walk around in slo-mo is just what's need to classify movies as Pan-Indian. Anyway, Jailer does just that and this film fails spectacularly. Rajnikanth does what's required of him. However, Nelson doesn't. His screenplay is flaccid. He takes a well-established narrative template and botches it with a paltry execution. Nelson seems preoccupied with lifting scenes from Hollywood films that he's forgotten that making a Superstar film is actually pretty easy. You need a few mass scenes, a few punch dialogues and a simple story that acts as a bridge between the aforementioned mass scenes. How could you botch that up?

After Beast, this is yet another dismal film from Nelson. Forgettable fare.