Jailer

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!

Thia film was mediocre at best with the director confused on the tone of the movie. The plot of the movie was all over the place. First half was decent and it felt like a movie for the masses, and breadcrumbed enough for a good showdown. The second half was a major letdown, with the whole movie turning into a soap opera heist film with violence and comedy used in a bad taste. The whole 'son plotline' was unnecessary for the plot for a movie aimed for the masses. It added absolutely no value to the whole movie. Mohanlal, in his few scenes brought his screen presence and star power so did Shivanna. Vinayakan stole the whole show for me, brilliant and raw performance. He explored his role to an extreme, might I dare, like Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight! I wouldn't even be surprised if he wins a National award for this role. Rajini's star power is definitely felt, and that will the main contributor for the movie's financial success(along with the underdog BTS comeback aspect with the director Nelson and the southern industry's big star casting inclusions) Most of all there is no takeaways or a good message from the whole movie.

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.

Like wine as they say, Rajini keeps getting better with age. At this age , he is pulling crowds of all ages and making them whistle inside theatre. That proves what a mass hero he is . Coming to the movie, it has elements of an action packed thriller. There is violence so some families won't be comfortable watching. You can expect some twists in the movie . All the casts have done their roles pretty well in the movie . The villain, Vinayakan has come up with a good performance. The movie is more of a head to head face off between hero and villain . I feel this is the best movie of Rajini after 2.0 .

The movie starts with a rather calm Rajnikanth without much fanfare and intro songs. Anirudh is the kingpin for this movement with elevations and silence at right place. However, the movie may not give a good cinematic experience with majority of the characters focused on close centre of the screen for it to evoke so called 'Dark comedy'.

The director seems to have lost plot in the later half, and relied on a comedy track which added no value to the story. Some scenes were elevated which did not require such moments. It looks the Director resorted to fan service in the later part struggling to keep them entertained!!