Anjaam Pathiraa

After a long time (read 'after Drishyam'), Malayalam film industry has produced yet another gem of a crime thriller. The story is about an aspirong criminologist who gets involved with the police in catching a serial killer who goes about killing policemen one by one. It is also said to be inspired by true events.

Right from the first shot itself, the director wastes no time in putting the characters & plot into motion. With each passing scene, you're drawn deeper into the mystery of the killers, who they & what do they want. The pacing is immensely good, the dialogues are realistic & crisp, the editing is superb & the background score is chilling enough. The visuals are powerful & borderline spooky at times. All the actors are in fine form & convince us enough to invest all our attention into the plot. In the first half, there literally isn't one single moment where you're not thinking 'What's next?'. Credit goes to the script writers for writing a gripping plot that keeps you engaged throughout the movie. The mystery unravels well & is quite satisfactory in the end.

The movie isn't without its cons. The regular usage of the term 'psychology' in the movie isn't validated as the director chooses not to explore much in that direction in the second half. This causes discrepancies in the thought process in the first half amd second half of the movie. Also, the second half gets a tad bit dragged because it carries the burden of revealing all the answers to the questions it raises in the first half. Apart from this, the movie is an excellent crime thriller & a MUST WATCH

This is definitely a worth watching murder mystery thriller. The thrilling tone is maintained right from the beginning till the end.

At first, some initial scenes may give an impression that the movie would become goofy as it progresses. But it doesn't. It maintains the amount of seriousness and logic one expects out of such movies.

There is absolutely no digression from the main story. No songs. No super star heroism. No melodrama.

The plot is one hell of a one. Keeps us really engaged.

Coming to acting, Kunchacko Boban did his part of a psychologist neatly. Then there is a stellar performance from Unnimaya Gopan. There are other excellent performances which cannot be told without it being spoilers.

Music really elevates the scenes and thrills to another level. The camera work was good even though it could have been made better. The editing was very good.

If there are flaws, they are all minor ones. Even though the story/plot is clearly the winner here, some parts in the beginning of the second act made the plot go slow. But it soon gets compensated as the movie goes forward. It can also be said that the last few scenes had some minor problems with logic. But it doesn't really compromise on the thrills and suspense.

Another minor problem was the character of Sreenath Bhasi. He comes as a young techie. The character is one in which Bhasi has got typecasted. His presence was mainly to give some comic relief. Such a character's presence cannot actually be justified. But it doesn't really affect the whole movie. Just a minor flaw. Maybe they didn't have the confidence to make the film without any comic relief.

The dialogues at some points felt a bit artificial. But for the most part they were good.

All these minor problems are just nitpicking. If you want to see a murder mystery thriller movie with a very good plot, you definitely need to see this.

I am marvelled at South's ability to churn out quality thrillers one after another. Anjaam Pathira (The Fifth Midnight) is the latest Malayalam film to be a part of this bandwagon.

The story is about a shadowy serial killer who targets Cops!!! After a string of gruesome killings, Kochi Police DCP Catherine (Unnimaya) upon the advice of ACP Anil (Jinu) ropes in criminal psychologist Anwar Hussain (Kunchako) to help them crack the case. Together they begin the hunt for the perpetrator who employs brutal and unique methods for committing the murders.

I have always believed grit is the most vital component of a thriller. The moment you lose the tempo, the story is bound to lose the edge. This is where the movie scores brilliantly. Writer Director Midhun Manuel Thomas renders a taut tale where we come across ghastly crimes, compelling scenes and sharp twists & turns at every crucial juncture. This engaging treatment which doesn't allow the tone to slack off is the movie's strongest asset. Yes there are flaws. There are certain minute details which call for an explanation (the figurine story, the burning incident hypothesis). English dialogues appeared a bit contrived. There are a few cliches which could have been avoided.

But Anjaam Pathira overall remains a riveting tale of suspense where the right elements are combined in apt proportions. There are horrific crimes, startling revelations and a good backstory. One can't help drawing a parallel to the Tamil movie Ratsasan (The Devil). While Ratsasan had a more interesting plot development, Anjaam Pathira's ending is better fleshed out.

You will love it.

The tense atmosphere of Anjaam Pathiraa (Fifth Midnight), thanks to the brilliant background score by Sushin Shyam and the overall production setup, is what makes it a gripping thriller worth enjoying while sitting at the edge of your seat without having the luxury to pay a visit to the washroom. Because if you choose to do so (or to get the popcorn), the intended impact will be lost. Midhun Manuel Thomas must have envisioned it that way as he wrote a mystery about a possible killer and police procedural involving the killings. More than the underlying themes that are related to crime, it is the procedural involving cops and other investigative elements (where Kunchacko Boban plays a criminologist) that keep you hooked, and makes this mystery thriller a unique affair for Mollywood consumers. There's enough going on here and with a crisp acting performance and sufficient attention to details, I can easily call Anjaam Pathiraa one of the best films to come out this year. We don't get such thrillers often. If you have the ability to pass certain forgivable issues with the plot, the dialogue delivery, and occasional mishaps involving placement and timing of humour, this is going to be a treat. TN.