Anjaam Pathiraa

The director that we knew and loved from the Aadu series makes a roaring comeback with Anjaam Pathiraa, a murder mystery thriller that keeps you hooked throughout. Midhun Manuel Thomas deftly combines a haunting background score with smart visuals and an in-form Kunjacko Boban to gradually build suspense and intrigue, delivering the best Malayalam crime thriller I have seen since Memories and Drishyam.

Although there are significant plot holes towards the end, the well written characters and their back stories leave you wanting for more. Loved the subtle homages to Hannibal Lecter and to the Creep series in the second half.

An engaging thriller and surely the first big hit of 2020!

This is indeed an immersive seat edger and a major game changer for Malayalam movies. From now on, probably most of the investigation/killer movies are going to be benchmarked based on this one. Pretty much everything about this movie, right from casting till direction is overly impressive. The sound design and music gets my special attention since it created a "never before" feel among Malayalam or maybe even other Indian language movies.

This is the end product of a quintessential amalgamation of all the individual and minute building blocks that makes a movie. Wonderful!

Watched 3 times The credit goes to casting, acting,Scripting ,music,Direction,camera and editing equally. Everything was perfect .All together my score 97/100. Everything was perfect This one is not like the other stereotype thrillers. I have 2 request only. Everyone should watch the movie in theaters and please don't try to spoil.

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.

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.