Tag Archives: Action

Action, Drama, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Worth a Watch

Petta Review

Petta Review – Petta is a Tamil action drama released in 2019. Kaali an elderly man joins as a temporary hostel warden in an arts college. There seems to be a hidden agenda behind his move which forms the core plot of Petta.

Petta, a fanboy film of Rajnikanth works its magic in bringing back many nostalgic memories of Rajnikanth movies in terms of shots, action blocks and situations. One big thing that it misses out is on the emotional connection to the character played by Rajnikanth on screen. Barring that it is an out and out entertainer. Like as in flashback sequences for Shankar, twists have become the regular feature in director Karthik Subburaj’s films. Personally, for me, the twists haven’t worked while it seems to have worked with many audiences. The twist of the tale in Jigarthanda and Pizza too did not work for me.

Petta’s first half is a wholesome entertainer, it has comedy, love, action sequences, songs, Thalaivar Swag all making it very enjoyable. The second half narrates an entirely a different story on a different canvas, that almost makes the first half irrelevant to the whole plot. The high orchestration builds up music is generously used in the second half BGM that might have worked well for the first day first show crowd but becomes cloying and making the climax appear to be elongated one. As it has been touted to be the second Baasha of sorts, I can’t resist doing a comparison to the old cult classic which again portrayed a dark side of Rajnikanth. But the first half characters lead back into the flashback as well and when the story connects back all of them are still relevant. That made you connect with the purpose of the lead character. That missed in Petta.

Besides the flaws, Petta is still a well made Tamil film that has many brilliant portions that would make you watch it again. First and foremost is the villaneous avatar of Rajnikanth and he plays it with so much ease and brings a terror on the screen as he gets involved in fights. It was refreshing to see Simran on screen after a long time. You just wished she had more screen time. Nawazuddin is the ideal choice for the Villain, the role is tailor made for him and he plays it to perfection. If you remove the fan flair of Petta, there is a raw gangster tale beneath it, that seems to be a very powerful one and left unexploited for the want of a breezy first half.

High Points: Rajni’s presence, the interval block, entertaining first half, the market fight scene, a Flashback sequence, inclusion of Simran

Low Points: Overuse of the build-up BGM, Twist after twist just for the sake of it

Overall, Petta is a true fanboy flick that captures all fanboy moments in a Rajni film. Lack of emotional connection to the main character makes it fall short of being a milestone movie. Yet there is lots to look for in Petta.

Worth a Watch

Action, Crime, Drama, Genre, Korean Movies, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews

A Dirty Carnival

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A Dirty Carnival – is a South Korean neo-noir film released in 2006. An upcoming film director Min Ho has to read a gangster’s life to create the script for his gangster movie. He follows and interviews his high school friend turned gangster Kim Byung-doo to understand the life of a gangster and make his movie. When the movie is released it is so close to the reality of the crime Byung-doo was involved in that he now has to kill Min Ho to save his secrets.

Sounds similar? Well this is the movie that many of the movie buffs have compared with Jigarthanda. Only the central plot is similar but the genre, treatment, the actual conflict and where the movie heads to is vastly different. They are two different movies with different story. So stop comparing the two movies.

A Dirty Carnival is a very serious gangster movie in itself. The movie is so realistic to the life of gangsters. You would see some realistic looking fights rather than the cinematic fights with visual effects. The movie right from the start follows Kim Byung-doo who is leading the life of a gangster and struggling to make his ends meet with an ailing mother, dependent brother and sister. The story is about his rise to power, his love for his childhood friend, his interactions with Min Ho for the movie script and the final conflict he gets into where he would have to kill his friend to live free. The story is very engaging right from the start. You would have the experience of looking into the life of a gangster. The performances, character buildup have been done very well. The editing of the movie is outstanding. If you are fan of gangster movies watch this one definitely.

Must Watch – for gangster fans

Action, English Movies, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Thriller, Worth a Watch

3 Days to Kill

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3 Days to Kill – is a French American action thriller released in 2014.The movie is about an experienced CIA agent who discovers he is going to live only for few months and wants to patch up with his wife and daughter but gets involved in a high pressure CIA assignment. 

The movie has a tone of Taken. However the plot and the subject it deals with are different of a CIA agent balancing between work and life. Kevin Costner has played the role of experienced CIA agent and his performance of balancing act between a talented CIA agent and wanna be family man attending to his teenage daughter and wife. The movie sticks to this theme, the conflicts around it and moves along. The movie is not an out and out gripping thriller like Taken. If you are expecting Taken you would be disappointed but if you are able to appreciate the subject this one deals with you would enjoy the movie. Give it a shot.

Watchable

Action, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Thriller, Worth a Watch

Arima Nambi

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Arima Nambi – is a Tamil Action Thriller released in 2014. Aravind meets Anamika at a bar and they go out on a date but in the same night Anamika is kidnapped and Aravind is on the run to find her but soon he realizes that they are in a larger trap and become fugitives for gangsters and police.

Arima Nambi is seemed to be inspired from many movies with fugitive genre. The lead actors are fugitives with unknown people chasing them. Over and above they are also charged for a murder they haven’t committed. Vikram Prabhu has yet again chosen the genre of action thriller and has performed well. The screenplay is racy and also some of the locations chosen for the movie are very good. The plot however has a lot of loop holes. Some of the scenes are unreal including the first song showing Chennai Hard Rock Cafe serving beer 🙂 If you are willing to ignore all these then you would enjoy this movie.

Watchable

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

Naan Sigappu Manithan

Naan Sigappu Manithan – is a Tamil action thriller released in 2014. A person affected with Narcolepsy is out to take revenge.

Director Thiru once again proves he is good at the characterization of the lead character in the movie. As in Thimiru the lead character played by Vishal is interesting and is built very well. Vishal is affected by narcolepsy and the first half is all about him trying to lead a normal life. It is thoroughly enjoyable and in the middle he is faced with a situation where he would need to take revenge. Now the unfolding of this mystery is where the screenplay has weakened and it makes a lengthy second half that is interesting only in parts. Vishal’s performance is good and all the other characters by default assume that he is the hero in the movie and has given him the space which becomes very evident in the second half and makes it too predictable. Overall you can watch this when played on TV or DVD.

Wait for DVD/TV

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

Nimirndhu Nil

Nimirndhu Nil – is a Tamil action drama released in 2014. Aravind grows up in an Ashram and wishes to lead life based on all moral values he has learnt. But he is in for a shock when he comes out of the ashram and starts working. He stands against all immoral values only to find himself get blamed for. Instead of giving into it he decides to connect people across the city who believes in moral values to fight against corruption. Was he successful in his attempt is the plot for Nimirndhu Nil.

Director Samuthirakani has created a brand for himself for making movies with strong social message. Nimirndhu Nil is yet another movie in this genre. The first half of the movie travels around the protagonist identifying various immoral deeds in the society which all of us have taken for granted and are part of it. The approach he takes to bring the wrong doers to light connects with audience well and sets the expectation for a treat as they had seen in movies like Anniyan, Shivaji and so on. However the movie falters in the second half where the screenplay has struggled to untangle the knots it has set in the first half and in the end turns out to be an average flair and the intensity of the message does not have an impact. Overall this is not a bad watch and you might enjoy watching it on TV or DVD.

Wait for TV/DVD

Action, English Movies, Fantasy, Rating, Reviews, Superhero, Worth a Watch

Thor: The Dark World

Thor: The Dark World – is a Marvel Superhero movie released in 2013. Eons back Bor, grandfather of Thor defeats the dark elves and safeguards their deadly weapon Aether which has the potential to destroy the universe in a stone column. In the present time the dark elves lead by Malekith awaken with the accidental release of the weapon Aether. They now launch their assault on Asgard and are out to destroy the universe as the event of convergence of the Nine worlds nears. Thor has to save Asgard, the earth and the entire universe. Was Thor able to do it… ? is the plot of this sequel to the Thor movie.

When the dark evil forces arise and threatens to destroy the world, a superhero comes to save the world. This is a template of any superhero movie and the creators do not have much levy to change this. What they could creatively play around with is the sequence of events that would lead through the story. If they are not able to engage the audience with interesting sequences then the movie becomes a boring one. This movie is on the borderline. Parts of the movie, particularly the portions involving Loki are very engaging. Tom Hiddleston has done a very good job of playing the role of Loki and lifts the tempo of the movie. Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman have done what the script has asked for. Like any of the modern day super hero flicks there is mass destruction, makes one feel gone are those days when super heroes saved innocent people from great perils while the modern day super heroes are more concerned about their loved ones. Overall the movie deserves a one time watch if you are a Thor fan. And don’t miss, there are 2 post credit sequences at the end.

What you may like: Loki’s characterization, visual effects, post credit teasers

What you may not like: Usual superhero plot, slow paced first half, Not as racy as its prequel

Watchable – for the characterization of Loki

Action, Genre, Thriller

Udhayam NH4

Udhayam NH4 – Out and out action thriller movies are bit scarce in Tamil Cinema. Udhayam NH4 is one such action thriller. The new comer Manimaran should be appreciated for taking up an action thriller subject for his first movie. The movie starts with Prabhu played by Siddarth abducting politician’s daughter Rithika played by Ashrita Shetty. There is a deadline for saving Rithika in the next 12 hours. A successful encounter specialist Inspector Manoj menon played by Kay Kay Menon is out to get Rithika back to her father. The rest of the movie is all about if he succeeds in his mission, why has Prabhu abducted Rithika? The answers are known as the movie unfolds.

The chase sequences and events have been well thought. As the movie revolves around 3 states the director has used the local languages with caption in Tamil and also lot of work has gone in getting the proper slang in the accent of the actors when they talk different languages. However the director hasn’t spent much time one other aspects in building up a strong motive, the characterization of the characters other than Prabhu which leaves the movie a forgettable one. If you are in mood for a different subject in Tamil Cinema you might not feel bad for watching this. Udhayam NH4 promises to give a enjoyable ride… it is indeed one if you ignore the occasional pot holes.

Watchable

Action, English Movies, Genre, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, SciFi, Thriller

Looper

Looper – A sci fi movie which deals with time travel. In 2074 criminal organization send the people who they wanted to be killed, back to 30 years in the past. They get hunted down by a group called looper. A looper retires when he kills his self from the past and is rewarded with gold to enjoy his retirement life for the next 30 years. Things get complicated when Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) meets his self from the future and lets him escape without being able to kill.  The movie is slow till the point where Joe lets his future self escape. From then on it turns into a racy thriller leaving the audience guessing what the end outcome would be. But for the initial slow paced script the rest of the movie is definitely engaging. As we had seen many movies with time travel and concepts like Inception this may not strike very unique but still a must watch film.

Must Watch

Action, Drama, Genre, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies

Enthiran

Endhiran – Kudos to Shankar and Rajini to do a script which did not rally around Rajini’s mass value, out and out Shankar movie with a different concept, larger than life incidents, dramatic sequences, a great entertainer. only short coming was the length of the movie, Shankar had tried reinforcing several things to prepare the audience to the sci fi concept. Otherwise its a rising sun of Indian cinema!

Must Watch