arungeorge13

I watched this mainly for Kyle Gallner, and he did not disappoint. Gallner will get his big due in the near future, but I'm hoping he signs roles in films that come with better writing overall (and not just his character). The film works as long as it's focused on Gallner's protagonist, who struggles with anger issues, and how everyone surrounding him is affected by it. The father-son scenes were actually decent and provided some emotional heft.

However, it then jumps into Shawn Ashmore's baddie and his predictable motivations; the film goes downhill with no recovery in sight. There are some stiff B-movie choices in the framing and music. The direction befits the made-for-TV format, with quick resolutions and happy endings. Some of the performances are downright bad. Bottom line is, I'll still watch anything that features Kyle Gallner, even subpar films like this one.

Krishand continues to be one of the most promising filmmakers in Malayalam, and venturing into the web series space gives him the freedom to run amok with his wildly artistic and stylistic choices. The series comprises six episodes, each roughly an hour long (slightly less or more), delving into the details that make the 4.5 gang an epic set of characters. Given that Krishand gets over 6 hours to unfold his story, there's great depth in characterization for the protagonists, the antagonists, and a large chunk of the supporting cast. The fictional south Kerala setting (and Thiruvananthapuram being the key location), with names of places getting interesting spins, is a great way to place our key players.

The Krishand signatures are everywhere -- fancy edit patterns (with plenty of split-screens, transitions, and slo-mos), a banger of a soundtrack, dark/satirical/situational humour balanced with serious themes, saturated frames soaked in rich colours, and most importantly, quirky storytelling methods. The 4.5 gang is always up to trouble right from their school days, and their antics are packed with hope, laughs, excitement, bloodshed, and the occasional death. And it's difficult not to binge-watch once you get started, as Krishand effortlessly draws you into his "world."

The performances, as expected, are deliciously first-rate. Sanju Sivaram leads the pack, but every member of the cast does their job well. As someone who, until now, thought Niranj Maniyanpilla Raju didn't have it in him, I was happy to be WRONG. He does a tremendous job here, invoking his father's superb comic timing with absolute ease. Shambhu, as the singer Maniyan, Sreenath as Kanji (who has a penchant for violence), and Sachin as Moonga (short, yet towers over the gang) are effective. I wish the ladies had more to do here, but I still enjoyed the presence of Santhy, Zarin, and Darshana.

The supporting acts are equally solid -- Jagadish, Indrans, Alexander Prashant, Hakkim, Rahul Rajagopal, Vijayaraghavan.. and my favorite among them all .. Vishnu Agasthya, just wow! I love how Agasthya's career is shaping up. Hopefully, he's part of more Krishand efforts going forward. Man, I can't stop praising Krishand enough. He's one of those unique talents (like say, LJP) who doesn't want to compromise on their vision, but also understands the commercial beats of what makes a piece of content entertaining for a large audience. I'm waiting to see what a fiercely creative brain like that can do to break our templatized formats of storytelling in "mass cinema."

P. S. Loved seeing Trivandrum's most scenic and iconic spots.

This is an out-and-out Kang Ha-neul show, I can say. The plot loses focus midway after a fun-filled first act that establishes the protagonists, but the stylistic flourishes keep coming. The third act recoups some of the lost steam and ends with a neatly packed twist, even when a large chunk of it is predictable. Like I said in the beginning, Kang Ha-neul is front and center of everything. That's the film's major selling point. He's riveting as the titular snitch, oscillating between smart and witty depending on the scene. There are issues with the way the film handles its drug-infused subplots, though director Hwang Byeong-gug keeps things interesting for the most part. Also, having Yoo Hai-jin as part of the cast is always a plus!

P. S. I'm genuinely surprised Netflix hasn't picked this up yet, given their catalogue has SO MUCH of Kang Ha-neul.