Daveed

After watching RDX, the biggest letdown is the fight choreography. The three main characters leave a lot to desire when it comes to their supposed martial art skills. The fights look half baked and somehow leave you disappointed. But in the overall big picture, the remaining elements somehow make up for this.

But, in a movie like Daveed, the whole focus is the fight between the two main characters and this is where it falters. Boxing, unlike a fight in your typical movie is meant to be more scientific and the choreography is expected to follow certain benchmarks and standards to convey the characteristics of a boxing match. This was sorely missing and the fights feel more like your usual hero vs villain showdown meant more for the effect and not for the actual fight.

Now I write this review after watching Alappuzha Gymkhana and the gaps in Daveed are glaringly evident. Pepe is not a great actor and his flaws are apparent and evident. When it came to most of his earlier successful movies, he has been ably supported by a good cast which is missing here. Mo Ismail also looks caricaturish and his attempt to portray a cocky and brash fighter is over done most of the time.

All in all, this was Rocky done wrong and not really worth your time.

We all as a collective society have already realised that boxing is for girls only. They're the ones who need to wear soft, smooth, round and cute gloves to avoid hurting their beautiful and delicate hands while hitting a punching bag that's as tall as their boyfriends/husbands.

And yet here they show a fully grown ass man with a beard wearing the girly gloves. Has he no shame? He might as well put on a sports bra, low rise shorts and lipstick. Or a bikini, if he wishes to look so feminine.

I always knew Malayalam cinema was supposed to be good, and that in spite of being pro LGBTQ, Keralites wouldn't stoop to femboy behaviour. But apparently they have turned into Bengalis too.

Daveed - A Missed Opportunity with Weak Execution and Emotionally Flat Storytelling

Daveed was a disappointing watch that failed to deliver on almost every level. The filmmaking felt subpar, with weak direction and poorly handled scenes that lacked emotional depth. At no point did the story connect with me or make me care about the characters. The narrative was predictable and flat, offering no real drama or engagement. The boxing sequences, which should have been the highlight, were poorly choreographed and lacked intensity or realism. Even the climax felt underwhelming. Overall, the film had potential to be an inspiring sports drama but was let down by bad execution, shallow writing, and weak emotional grounding. It's a forgettable experience that never really finds its rhythm.

Daveed (2025)

Angamaly Diaries' star Antony Pepe gets wasted in a Badly written, poorly made, wrongly edited, lame Boxing drama.

Who ever made this has zero knowledge about Boxing. Sparring without a Mouth guard, smoking after training, match approval without a weight class, this movie seems to take place in an alternative parallel universe. Zero authentic portrayal in a Boxing movie.

Anything good was from the child artist and the villain. Pepe tried his best to get lean, he should have put some muscle to match the villain, great transformation, though.

Shout out to the cameraman for cleverly hiding Pepe unfit belly in the final showdown. The editing was so lame, the makers should have atleast studied the top 5 boxing movies.

Also the casting was so pathetic, makers should have cast a younger actress, it was the role his wife, not his mother.

Writing should be have better, the match result was little over the top. No one, even with a retired MMA background can stand against a top class Boxer in the first round, especially when they are from different weight classes. The logical ending would have been Pepe's death, but the movie ended in a lighter tone.

Overall, a good effort but a major missed opportunity. I'd give this movie 5/10.

Rating - 4/5

A straight strong power punch movie with an intriguing screenplay,exceptional performances and goosebump action sequences.

The plot of the story revolves around a lazy underdog family man who has to face a boxing showdown match over a personal dignity loss undergone by a boxing world champ and to rediscover his lost Identity.

The filmmakers has triumphed in giving an engaging action drama through a striking screenplay and impressive action performance on the ring. Deepu Rajeevan through his writing has effortlessly synchronised family drama, & camaraderie,emotions and the underdog culture through the impressive suburban settings of Kochi. The screenplay narrative was brilliantly executed by Govind Vishnu portraying raw emotions of a wounded lion in mind rising back through perseverance,determination,confidence and blended it through a flashback. The climax sequence was impressive highlighting the other side of success unlike other movies.

Impeccable performance by Antony Pepe in the action sequences in the ring and gave life to the emotions in right harmony. Mo Ismail has given an incredible performance and his dialogues through his voice was unmatchable reflecting the courage and strength of an unstoppable force. Impressive performances by Vijay Raghavan with his stag mannerisms and dialogue delivery,Lijomol Jose as a bold and strong housewife,Saiju Kurup,Jess Kukku ,Saiju Kurup & Aju Varghese.

Salu K Thomas has captured a well choreographed action drama movie in the right spirit and emotions hard hitting in the minds of the viewers. Rakesh Cherumadam has trimmed the movie into an action packed family entertainer and Justin Varghese has given hooking BGM's syncing to the action sequences. Special appreciation to PC Stunts Prabhu for the top notch action sequences in the movie.

Govind Vishnu has striked gold through his debut directorial venture with an upper cut execution style.