Jailer

Jailer (2023) : Brief Review -

Nelson's narrow vision saved by Blockbuster heroism of Rajinikanth, Mohanlal and Shiva Rajakumar. Nelson Dilip Kumar has to be one of the luckiest directors in Tamil cinema who is surviving and still getting films after back-to-back mediocrities. "Kolamaavu Kokila" (2018) hardly had any brain in its black comedy; "Doctor" (2021) couldn't find an antidote for his own mediocre vision; "Beast" (2022) was a beast-size torture; and now he brought another mediocre film, "Jailer". It could have been a much better film if you look at the first half. The film falls in the second half and somehow stands on its feet with the charismatic heroism of Rajinikanth and blockbuster cameos by Mohanlal and Shiva Raja Kumar, who help create a crossover of Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada cinema in a massy action drama. Jailer is about a retired police officer whose son is kidnapped by a gangster. The father sets out to settle things down with the gangster, who will listen to no one but him after knowing who he is. The idea is very predictable, but there is a surprise in the pre-climax before you head towards a so-so climax. Rajinikanth's "Tiger ka Hukum" is commendable as he successfully carries along all his heroic stuff such as walk, talk, smash, show swag, and at last the "cigar." Mohanlal and Shiva's cameos have whistle-worthy moments, which are uplifted by the background score and a small rap in between. Ramya Krishnan, Vasanth Ravi, and Mirnaa Menon are decent in small roles. Jailer is dragged into the second half with Tamannaah's angle, robbery, and family drama stuff. Seriously, this is no way to bring your own film down after a good-to-go first half. Why does Nelson always have to look at things with his narrow-minded vision? More than him, we and our audiences need to find the answer soon. Overall, an okay watch after promising a better future.

RATING - 5/10*

By - #samthebestest.

After the colossal misfire that was Beast, Nelson strikes back with a well-cooked, deliciously violent entertainer that once again features a bunch of quirky characters and his signature dry/dark humour, coupled with spectacular fan service. I don't want to get into the plot or its details. Let's just talk about what worked and what didn't. The story is actually pretty straightforward. Nelson's films have this mission-driven approach, and that's the case here too.

WHAT WORKED:

• The treatment of the protagonist: This is an area where multiple directors have struggled in recent times. There are soft, emotional moments, and then, there are HIGH VOLTAGE MASS moments. Muthuvel Pandian is the kind of protagonist that's tailormade for Thalaivar. He doesn't have to beat up a hundred goons to prove how powerful he is. He has connections, and knows how to effectively use them.

• Anirudh's score: Such an integral component to this film's success. In a film with several elevation moments, the score had a lot to live up to. And it did! The next time you see "An Anirudh Musical" title card, you know it's gonna make a huge difference to the overall viewing experience.

• The cameos: It took several years and a Tamil director to present Mohanlal in such a classy avatar that made you crave his character's presence more. Shivanna's cameo is also incredibly placed and superbly executed in the climactic showdown. Jackie Shroff shows up post-interval in a pivotal flashback sequence, and he also gets his shining moment. Furthermore, the cameos are actually written into the screenplay quite well.

• The portrayal of the antagonist: Vinayakan's Varman is an extremely violent and eccentric antagonist. For this guy to stand up against Muthuvel (and his connections), we feel he's weak somewhere. But the character is written in such a way that he somehow keeps getting the upper hand. Varman is one of the most vicious antagonists you'll see in any Rajini movie, subtly transitioning between someone who dips his enemies in sulphuric acid and simultaneously breaking into a dance with his gang. Fantastic performance by Vinayakan - that's all I can say!

• The big screen experience: Such a clichéd thing to say in a review, but a film like this really needs to be experienced in a packed crowd, with all the hoots, cheers, and screams. It is packaged in such a way as to elicit all of these, alongside some incredible goosebump moments. The climax is absolutely terrific; the tail-end takes a route that's not usually taken in Rajini movies. Also, please don't bring kids/infants to this flick and ruin it for everyone.

WHAT DIDN'T WORK:

• Casual misogyny: This has been repetitive on Nelson's part, since KoKo. The women characters (including that of Ramya Krishnan) are conveniently pushed aside for Rajini & Co. To shine. They're perceived heavily through the male gaze and only act as placeholders. It wouldn't have hurt to attribute some heft to Ramya Krishnan's character (Muthu's wife). Give her some powerful dialogues, at least, mate!

• Subplots: The subplot involving Blast Mohan (Sunil), Kamna (Tamannah) and those guys felt like a random addition. Even the Kaavala song is not the sizzling wonder you probably expected. Many might find Redin Kingsley wholly annoying. I wasn't one of those, but I can understand if that's the case. Even the quality of humour took a dip here when compared with the antics of Yogi Babu and VTV Ganesh in the first half.

Concluding note -

I think Jailer is majorly for those who have grown up watching Rajini movies (sorry, Gen Z), but Nelson hasn't made any major compromises in the way he wanted to tell this particular story. From a storytelling standpoint, it isn't as refreshing as KoKo or unique as Doctor, but it also comes with that special sauce that was heavily lacking in Beast.

FDFS @ PVR PXL.

Thalaivar Mass, Lalettan Mass, Shiva Rajkumar Mass!! This as obvious is for the masses and Nelson delivers a stylish blockbuster with his own format of making. As usual comedy injected at the serious points as a Nelson signature. Even though just cameos, Lalettan and Shiva Rajkumar got some amazing screen pres nce. Should have to say Nelson can't find a better villain that Vinayakan. He did such an amazing performance that it actually overshadowded everyone else. Action sequences with less cringey kicks and more firepower. This will be a defenite blockbuster. Thalaivar fever is on.

The movie starts with a rather calm Rajnikanth without much fanfare and intro songs. Anirudh is the kingpin for this movement with elevations and silence at right place. However, the movie may not give a good cinematic experience with majority of the characters focused on close centre of the screen for it to evoke so called 'Dark comedy'.

The director seems to have lost plot in the later half, and relied on a comedy track which added no value to the story. Some scenes were elevated which did not require such moments. It looks the Director resorted to fan service in the later part struggling to keep them entertained!!

Everybody gangsta until Rajinikanth graciously walks in through a dense fog holding a freaking machete in his hands; even at the age of 72, this man seems to carry swagger like no one else.

When it solely comes to asserting sheer dominance on screen, very few come close, let alone matching up to him! I absolutely adored him here.

Now, as far as the movie is concerned, I have mixed feelings, mainly because the two halves seemed like two different films merged into one.

The first half is remarkable; I loved how it built up slowly but gradually picked up the pace and offered an astounding interval block. However, the second half fails to sustain the momentum and struggles to keep the intensity up; as a result, most of the film's second half comes across as sloppy and cluttered.

I did cherish the climactic portion, though. The pure display of unadulterated charm and swagger from all three veterans was a sight to behold!