RDX: Robert Dony Xavier

In recent times, platform ratings seem susceptible to modification, with "The Jailer" and similar examples highlighting this trend. Unfortunately, this particular film, deserving less than its 7 rating, disappoints due to its uncomfortable fight scenes. The filmmakers' insistence on showcasing every move in slow motion fails to excite the audience, raising questions about their creative choices. Such repetitive techniques not only dilute the impact but also test viewers' patience, diminishing the overall viewing experience. The story, although simple in its premise, fails to engage the audience effectively. Without compelling twists or well-developed characters, the narrative falls flat, making it challenging for viewers to invest emotionally or intellectually. In essence, the simplicity, devoid of engaging elements, renders the story forgettable and fails to leave a lasting impression on the audience.

This film has received all sorts of acclaim since Onam and has almost been this sleeper hit. Now it's out on Netflix, had to watch it and I'm probably late so I'll skip the plot.

The plot is almost generic, something you might watched over the years in B/T/Kollywood. Not sure if Mollywood has made this before. The parts that were good about the generic plot - relatable friendship, you care for the 3 characters. The action - decent enough to not be over-the-top; some sequences were well done. Other than that, I.....don't know if I enjoyed anything else....so it's safe to say that I didn't enjoy the film as much as everybody else seems to have.

I don't know if the hype and the praise for this film have been so high because this was a 'breath of fresh air' in Mollywood or if King of Kotha high such high expectations and bombed, so everybody went to watch RDX and had a good time...? Not sure but there's only one way to find out - I gotta watch KOK.

RDX offers good action sequences. But the script fails to impress. Malayalam film industry is going through a hard phase. We have been provided with too many poor movies which lead us to a point where we get so excited or impressed over slightly above average movies.

Most of the scenes felt illogical because of the situations and the things they do. The main character's friends are not there. Their uncle who's a policeman is not there. It's always just the 3 leads fighting their own battles. The climax made no sense at all. I'm not gonna spoil anything.

The song was unnecessary. Pepe was so good and so was Shane. Neeraj did great with action scenes but lacks the mass aura.

It works better if you watch with an electrifying crowd.

RDX has its fair share of problems, maybe because it's the director's debut, but it had more than enough to look over those for me, and since even with films like "Thallumaala" such proper action-oriented films still are not always sight that is seen in Malayalam. The film has what feels like a template 90s Malayalam action movie story and for that, they chose the early 2000s as the time period. But those 90s movies were more about the firebrand dialogues that would hype you up which would end with a bang of action, which, even though it wouldn't look that great, was not bad, and was entertaining enough for the time. Here, they chose to showcase the villains in a way that we are already enraged enough, so the story flows with just enough exposition and the rest would naturally lead to the action scenes, and then filled it with a variety of settings for the action. Neeraj, gets the least focus among the three, as Xavier but his dancing skills are converted into the nunchuck-wielding martial artist and works great with what he has. Anthony Pepe, following his flavour of action from "Angamaly Diaries" and "Ajagajantharam" shows off his "naadan thallu" and comes off as the hardest hitting "boxer". Shane as Robert does look like the hero here, pulling off romance and action without any problem and also clearly showing he's much more than a "depression star" as many like to call him. The three of them made a great team together and the mere presence of Babu Antony, the OG martial artist star of Malayalam makes it a great experience (even though I would have really liked it if he had more to do in it).

Now, the movie does have a lot of problems. The flashback love story was a bit dragging even though the 90s music filling that space and hitting us with nostalgia was a clever way to not make it feel too laggy. The action by Anbarivu was great but the cinematography and the editing of the action scenes themselves could have been a lot better.

However, despite all the problems, it was a great experience watching something that simultaneously satisfies those who miss the 90s and those who want a decent action movie of modern times.

Action choreography, direction and background music made the movie.

If you insist on a story, you might want to carry a balarama with you.

Nothing Nolan about this movie - simple stuff, stylish action weaved into emotions. With a no-star cast, the director has been able to pull off a pretty good movie.

Background music had a freshness to it and complimented the action very well. Facial expression closeups backed by Sam CS' BGM.

Action choreography is very well done, lot of meticulous work has gone into stylizing each and every shot. Acting performances have been great - good screen presence from Pepe, Shane and Neeraj. Pepe stood out a little more.

It is a light stylized action movie.