Category Archives: Thriller

Crime, Genre, Thriller

Nee Naan Nizhal Review

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Nee Naan Nizhal Review – Nee Naan Nizhal is a Tamil crime thriller released in 2014.  A serial killing of five Indian origin people in Malaysia starts of a investigation by the Malaysian police.  The five murdered individuals do not have anything in common but for a common facebook friend.

The movie definitely has a strong plot and an underlying social message around cyber-crime. This is the first movie for director John Robinson and kudos to him for taking up a good plot. The first half of the movie is very sluggish. The songs could have been avoided as they slow down the pace of the movie. The entire Coimbatore episode surrounding the five friends seems out of place for the movie.  The forced comedy sequences involving MS Bhaskar does not make you laugh. The director could have used this time and space to increase the complexity of the knot.  For any investigative thriller to be very effective it is very important to build knots and making the case look unsolvable leading up to the climax where the knot is removed and the surprise is revealed. Nee Naan Nizhal has missed out on this despite having a great potential for a gripping thriller. The story picks up from the interval block. Sarathkumar and Manoj K Jayan are good choice for the supporting roles. Again building on their characterization would have made it even more interesting. The use of comic style animation to narrate the flashback is very effective. This is now been adopted by many of the new age film makers. Given the restrictions of the Indian censor board this definitely is a very effective alternate medium for conveying the intensity of the problem.

If you are able to sit through the sluggish first half of the movie you might enjoy the second half which forms the meat of the story. Overall the movie is watchable at home for its plot.

Wait for DVD/TV – for its plot

Genre, Korean Movies, Rating, Reviews, Thriller, Worth a Watch

The Chaser Review

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The Chaser Review – The Chaser is a South Korean psycho thriller released in 2008. Eom Joong-Ho is a corrupt ex detective turned pimp. He is worried as two of his women have gone missing. He thinks someone is selling them and tries to track him down as he send one of his women Mi-jin to the customer who was the last to see the other two missing women.

The Chaser is yet another brilliant psycho thriller that is engaging throughout. Director Na Hong-jin has narrated a story that has a strong take on the corrupt politics in South Korea. The scene in which the Mayor comes out of the hospital and complaints why there is no press and then run away seeing an injured men walking towards the hospital is very cleverly done. The characterization is done very well, as per the theme of the story every character in the movie has their negative shade. Kim Yoon-seok has performed very well in the role of a corrupt ex-detective and a money minded pimp. The sound engineering for the movie is very well done. Not using background score but the use natural sounds from the surrounding is very effective in keeping the thriller on. Overall if you have enjoyed movies like Old Boy and I Saw the Devil you would like this one too.

Watchable

Action, Can Skip it, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Thriller

Yaan Review

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Yaan Review – is a Tamil action thriller released in 2014. Chandru is happily unemployed and enjoys life. When he meets Sreela he immediately falls in love with her, but is forced to find a job if he has to marry her. The job Chandru takes puts him into a life threatening situation. Will he be able to come out of the situation and marry Sreela is the plot of Yaan.

Well Yaan has good casting, brilliant cinematography, great stunts, decent plot but the thread that connects all these together in the form of screenplay and characterization is missing. It takes more than half the movie for the audience to figure out what the conflict is. And still at the end of the movie I was left wondering if it was love or drug trafficking.  The climax is absolutely ridiculous. Cinematographer turned director Ravi K. Chandran has a lot potential to make some visually stunning movies. If he partners with some good screen writers he would be able to make very good movies. Some of the visual sequences you would love in the movie are the initial fight sequence, the way the hero recreates his encounter with the heroine, the song sequences and the stunt choreography.

Overall if you are seeing sequences from Yaan in isolation it looks good but when put together in a product it would make you yawn. If you are a fan of stunning visuals and stunts watch this at home or else you would not miss much.

Can Skip it

Drama, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Thriller, Wait for DVD/TV

Burma

Burma – is a Tamil thriller released in 2014. Paramanandam alias Burma is a skilled car thief. He works for a financier to seize cars whose due amounts are not settled. While doing one of the car seizing he crosses line with a criminal gang and he has to save the car, his girlfriend and himself.

The movie has a very interesting plot of car theft which is not usually handled as a central plot for a movie. Director Dharanidharan should be lauded for the effort put in here. Believing in a script and making it into a movie is not an easy effort for a new comer. But due to sufficient lack of scale for the project the production quality of the movie suffers to a great extent. Atul Kulkarni and Sampath Raj’s role is not as it is depicted in the trailer, in the movie they have very minimal role to play. The background score is very disconnected which makes the movie disengaging in many places. Overall the movie definitely has some substance in it. If you are willing to see this as a first timer’s effort you would enjoy this movie for the interesting plot it has.

Wait for DVD/TV

Action, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Thriller, Wait for DVD/TV

Sigaram Thodu

Sigaram Thodu – is a Tamil action thriller released in 2014. Murali fakes his interest in becoming a police officer just to keep his father happy. When his father is attacked brutally by robbers he has to step up to take the police duty to bring the dark forces to light.

Vikram Prabhu is becoming synonymous with action thriller. After his debut movie Kumki he has done back to back action thriller movies Ivan Veramathiri and Arima Nambi. Sigaram Thodu joins the list. Vikram Prabhu’s physique is well suited for action thrillers. However this one does not create the impact like his previous outings. Director Gaurav has just managed to push the bar a little higher than many of the crime dramas you would see on television. The story itself is very small and does not deserve the length it has. One of the weakest points in the story is the villain. The significance of a hero’s purpose is directly proportional to the gruesomeness of the villains. The villains look very weak in front of Vikram Prabhu’s character and it looks like a easy cake walk for him to get them defeated. The element of suspense is broken much earlier in the movie and fails to hold you onto the seat.

Overall this one is an average action drama which can be watched at home for its few engaging parts.

Wait for DVD/TV

Crime, Genre, Korean Movies, Rating, Reviews, Thriller, Worth a Watch

I Saw The Devil

I Saw The Devil – is a South Korean psychological thriller released in 2010. A psycho serial killer Kyung-chul kills the fiancé of a secret service agent Soo-hyun. Soo-hyun takes a painful revenge on Kyung-chul by injuring him and then let him get treated to get well and then again injuring him.

The film is strictly for those who can with stand gory movies and is not suitable for kids. The movie is shot boldly with very explicit violent scenes. Director Kim Jee-Woon has given a different genre of movie after his star studded The Good The Bad The Weird. Choi Min-sik has performed the role of a psycho killer very well and is very scary. Lee Byung-hun is very convincing as a secret agent out to take revenge. The scene where he sees the body of his fiancé and tries to control his emotion is a notable performance. He has maintained the mood throughout as he is on the run to chase the killer. He is good at playing negative shade character and as this character has the negative shade it had aptly fitted him very well.

The recent Bollywood movie Ek Villain is very similar to this plot. Although the makers have denied that it was adapted from this.  There are lot similarities between the two although the Bollywood version is a mellowed down version of this movie. The Bollywood version goes into giving a reason for the serial killing which is not there in this movie.

Watchable – for psychological thriller fans

Comedy, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Thriller, Wait for DVD/TV

Irukku Aana Illai

Irukku Aana Illai – is a Tamil comedy thriller released in 2014. Venkat is a loser in life and nothing works for him until he meets with an accident and the girl who dies in the accident stays with him as a ghost.

Certain movies do not get the relevant recognition and audience as they may not have very popular cast and not marketed appropriately. Irukku Aana Illai is one such movie. The plot is very different from the normal comedy genre you would see. Debutante director Saravanan also has handled the script well for a new comer. This movie would not blow you off but definitely has the ingredients to engage well. There are obvious flaws in the movie like the predictable script and lack of continuity in couple of places. However the movie is engaging and keeps up your interest, when it travels with the lead characters. The song although pleasant to hear slows down the pace. Overall you would not regret watching this one and might pleasantly surprise you if you have no expectations. You can definitely watch this at home.

Wait for DVD/TV

Action, Genre, Korean Movies, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Thriller

The Man from Nowhere

The Man from Nowhere – is a South Korean action thriller released in 2010. A pawnshop owner whose past whereabouts are unknown befriends and develops a bond with a little girl in the neighborhood. When she is kidnapped he would have to use his skills from the past and go the lengths to save her.

The movie is very thrilling and engaging right from the first scene. Although the plot is similar to Taken, the story has much more darker shade and some brutal action scenes. The narration is crisp and stays to the point and does not wander much. Won Bin’s performance is very commendable and is the strength of the movie. His hair style for the major part of the movie is mysterious covering half of his face. Director Lee Jeong-beom has cleverly used the police investigation angle to reveal his past rather than using clichéd sequence of him justifying his past. As his past is revealed you see his hair cut off and see his full face. It’s a simple but clever use of metaphor for the mystery surrounding him.

A Bollywood movie in the making based on this story is slated to be released in 2015. If you are fan of movies like Man on Fire, Taken,  Old Boy then this is a must watch for you.

Must Watch

Crime, Genre, Korean Movies, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Thriller

Memories of Murder

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Memories of Murder – is a South Korean crime thriller released in 2003. The movie is based on true incidents of serial killing that occurred between 1986 and 1991 in  Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province in South Korea. In a small city, a woman is raped and murdered. Soon the detectives realize it is just one of the many serial killings that occur. A local detective and a detective from Seoul with conflicting personalities have to team up to track down the killer and stop future murders.

This movie is directed by Bong Joon-ho prior to The Host. If you are fan of crime thrillers and serial killings this would be a must watch for you. The story is so intriguing and plots open up with even more complicated knot as the movie progresses. You might have seen similar plots in many movies in the recent times (I will leave that for your guessing :)) . But still this one is class apart from all those I have seen. As you see in The Host even in this movie there are some strong social takes. Weaving the current state of affairs into a script is brilliance of Bong Joon-ho. The lead actors Song Kang-ho and Kim Sang-kyung have given very engaging performances and the transfer in their personalities as the movie progresses is brilliant. 

Overall this movie is one of the best movies made on serial killing. This one is a must watch for all movie buffs.

Must Watch

Genre, Korean Movies, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, SciFi, Thriller

The Host

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The Host – is a South Korean science fiction and thriller released in 2006. As a side effect to the release of toxic waste into the Hans River an unknown mutated giant creature originates and starts attacking people. An affected family stands against all odds to fight the creature.

I was not very fascinated by the plot of a creature coming out of a river but still wanted to watch this because of the rave reviews it has got. I ended up liking this movie! For the firsts, it is not another Godzilla type movie. This has a very strong political statement against the US military dumping toxic wastes into the river. The movie has it scary, satirically funny and emotional moments. Apart from the socio-political statement what stand out in the movie are the way the screenplay has been written and the characterization of the people in the family. Everyone character is carefully thought and is a representation of various people in Korean society. There is a scene where in the father describes why his first son is so dumb and blames himself for the upbringing of his son. You would see many such instances which have been crafted in a satirical fashion. The lead characters Song Kang-ho and the girl Go Ah-sung playing his daughter has performed very well. Director Bong Joon-ho should be credited for taking up such a subject and telling a compelling story!

If you do not watch this movie superfluously but pay attention to the details of the scene and the plot you would enjoy it. This one is yet another master piece of South Korean Cinema.

Must Watch

Genre, Rating, Reviews, Suspense, Tamil Movies, Thriller, Wait for DVD/TV

Athithi

Athithi – is a Tamil suspense thriller released in 2014.  Madhiazhagan, Vasuki and their kid lead a very happy life. One day they give lift to an unknown person in their car and things take an unusual turn. They learn their daughter is being held hostage and they are held hostage in their car and are forced to do things the stranger demands.

The movie is mostly engaging in parts and the plot promises to be an edge of the seat thriller. The premise for the whole story is a very promising one and when the story reaches its main premise you would find this to be a very engaging movie and would demand your attention. However the situations leading to the main plot is not buildup well. Due to this what could have been a very engaging movie falls short. The buildup of characters is disconnected to the main plot. There have been deliberate attempts to distract the audience from finding out the motive. In the end as it is not related they seem to be out of place for the story. During the abduction episode in many places the real panic, fear and hurry is not seen with the characters which is not a natural reaction. The scene in which Nanda has to leave a suitcase in the bus stand within 20 minutes, the whole sequence is very relaxed and does not thrill. The comedy portion and songs in the movie is a wholesome distraction to the genre of the movie. Director Bharhathan has tried to stuff in messages against the economic differences in the society which is not needed. The movie needed a bold ending to create an impact but ends up with an average ending.

Overall this one is definitely engaging in parts and can be watched at home if you have nothing else to watch.

Wait for DVD/TV – for a promising premise

Drama, Genre, Korean Movies, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Suspense, Thriller

Old Boy

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Old Boy – is a South Korean suspense thriller movie released in 2003. A man named Oh Dae-su is abducted and imprisoned in a dark room for 15 years. In the meantime he learns his wife is murdered, he is the prime suspect for the murder and his daughter is adopted by a Swedish family. After 15 years he is released on the roof top of a tall building. He is out to find the reason why he has been tortured to this extent and vows to take revenge on his abductor.

The movie is known for its unique plot. It is strictly for mature audience for its content and it is gross in parts. The tone has been set like that to give the impact of the torturous life the lead character has gone through. As the movie progresses Oh Dae-su discovers the identity of the kidnapper and the story unfolds. The screenplay is done brilliantly and the climax would leave you dumb stuck. It is a movie that has the potential of keeping you disturbed and at the same time give a feeling of having watched a brilliant movie. The plot of keeping a man abducted in an unknown room for unknown reason has been used in various movies which had released later including the recent Tamil movie Ivan Vera Mathiri. Overall this is a must watch if you have open mindedness and have a strong heart.

Must Watch – not for the weak hearted