SAMTHEBESTEST

The Mask of Dimitrios (1944) : Brief Review -

An immoral but fascinating tale of a con artist chased by an intriguing writer. The Mask of Dimitrios centers on the main character, Dimitrios Makropoulos, a con man who scams people for money. A mystery novelist named Leydenal arrives in Istanbul and is taken to see Dimitrios' body. Fascinated by the officer's introduction, he wants to delve into Dimitrios' life to learn more so he can write a book about it. He then meets Dimitrios' former lover, who tells him that it has been years since she saw her boyfriend after he took her money and never returned. On a train, he meets a man who takes him to Geneva to meet someone who once hired Dimitrios for a job. Ultimately, he is invited to Paris by the man he met on the train, who offers him half a million French francs for information. Leydenal then confronts a shocking truth that shatters his narrative, revealing a practical presentation of the story that would make a great tale. Frankly, I was hooked on the story until the climax occurred, which disappointed me. Everything was progressing well, and then we experienced this mediocre climax to conclude the story. Not well done, man. It is more disappointing when you are so invested in the character, only for it to end in some routine killing. But anyway, thanks for keeping my interest until the end. Zachary Scott makes a strong impression despite limited screen time, while Sydney Greenstreet is impeccable. Peter Lorre shines as the writer who gets the most screen space, and the supporting cast is fine as well. The film, or for that matter, the original novel, did not truly do justice to the title-especially the word "mask." Was there even a mask? Jean Negulesco has done well, and had it not been for the climax, I guess this would have been a pretty solid film noir and quite intriguing, too.

RATING - 6/10*

By - #samthebestest.

The Two Mrs. Carrolls (1947) : Brief Review -

You've known Femme Fatale; now here's Homme Fatale. I had to search the word on Google to find the exact opposite of Femme Fatale, and from there, I discovered the term Homme Fatale, which perfectly suits the film. In Double Indemnity (1944), Barbara Stanwyck plans to murder her husband to get his wealth, and in this film, her husband plans to murder her because he wants to marry another rich girl. Now, I believe you get the idea of the headline. The film is about a painter who kills his wife to marry a girl. Years later, he fancies another and is now planning to murder his second wife. Will this wife be able to save herself? That's a brief storyline for you, but the most interesting aspect of this film is its screenplay. At around 100 minutes, we hardly get a moment to miss. I liked the entire portion when Mr. Carroll meets Cecil for the first time in the garden and openly insults her. Instead of hating him, she now likes the man more, and that's an interesting portion. Before we realize it, both are already having an affair, and Mr. Carroll must kill his wife to marry Cecil. However, Mrs. Carroll (number 2) is a bit lucky and smart, too. This part of her small investigation is also very interesting and keeps the momentum going. But the climax becomes predictable. I wish it had been more interesting, delving deeper into the noir zone like Double Indemnity. Yet, the last frame when Mr. Carroll asks the cops for a glass of milk is definitely intriguing. Just a few days ago, I saw Conflict (1945), in which Bogart played a similar evil husband, and this story was very much alike. However, that film had brilliant suspense and a twist at the end. This movie falls short in that respect. Rest assured, you'll enjoy it for the good performances, engaging storyline, and fine direction. Though I dislike such male characters, the justification in the end is valid and plausible.

RATING - 6.5/10*

By - #samthebestest.

L2 Empuraan (2025) : Movie Review -

At times, we ponder how to make a bad sequel to a good film. Well, here's L2 Empuraan as a fine and recent illustration of it. Occasionally, people create a good movie and then make a forced sequel to it to earn some good money. That's what L2E is. Directing the legendary Mohanlal is a dream for any prominent director, and then Prithviraj Sukumaran got that chance as a newbie when he made Lucifer (2019). He truly made a good film, and the movie was filled with moments of his fanship towards the superstar. After the huge success of Lucifer, Sukumaran decided to continue the story, but sadly, he and the entire film disappointed big time. If this is how you make a hyped sequel, then it's better not to make it. Not everyone can do what Baahubali 2 (2017) or Drishyam 2 (2021) did. But L2E is a significant failure, man. I mean, forget the critic reviews, but even the masses are going to hate it, and I can see the box office tumbling down after the huge opening already.

L2E starts with a foreign operation by an international team as they try to nab Abram Khureshi (Mohanlal). Cut to Zayed Masood's past and the revenge he has been seeking for 23 years. Immediately, cut to Kerala politics, as Jathin Ramdas (Tovino Thomas) has turned bad and has joined forces with the villain, Balraj (Abhimanyu Singh). Cut to Priyadarshini's counterattack, and then there is news of Abram, aka Stephen's, death. As God's own city is under political threat, the devil, Lucifer, must return to save it from evil.

L2 Empuraan completely wastes the first half with several plot setups that are far too predictable, even for a child. Mohanlal's entry scene was dull, as it resembles the visuals and style of Lucifer's ending scene. The second half features Mohanlal in one action-packed sequence in dark settings, which remains the best scene in the entire film. The climax fight sequence is similar to the mid-action dramas usually seen in Telugu and Kannada cinema. L2's script has nothing to offer as a sequel to Lucifer, and it doesn't do any justice to its predecessor. It's outdated, tedious, and moreover, stretched to almost 3 hours. It feels so incomplete because you hardly see Mohanlal and Prithviraj in action for barely 20 minutes; then where the hell did those other 145 minutes go?

Mohanlal has delivered a decent performance, and for me, it wasn't an acting-driven role. This is about witnessing the massy avatar of the legendary superstar, and he does it right. Sukumaran was underwhelming in the climax and much weaker compared to his performance in Lucifer. Tovino Thomas was quite decent, while Manju Warrier was better this time. Abhimanyu Singh didn't really scare me as an antagonist. Indrajith Sukumaran was fine, and Suraj Venjaramoodu didn't get enough space to be noticed.

Regarding the cinematography, this film looks better in IMAX but could have featured those top views and close-ups done better. The widescreen format helps extend the horizon, but only if the director knew how to use it. The best frame in the film remains that "L" sign with two metaphorical elements-cross and fire. The background score is another disappointment, but the reuse of the score from the previous film was effective in the forest fight scene. Prithviraj Sukumaran should have scrapped the script written by Murali Gopy in the first place to save himself and his film from this disgrace. L2E is a prime example of how not to make a sequel that will disappoint not only critics but fans as well. Sukumaran's vision was wrong and outdated. Lucifer worked because it was rooted in Kerala, and the Malayalam audience connected to its genuineness, but here L2 completely broke that link and took the film into international affairs and the political turmoil of the state. That's so childish, and so is the film.

RATING - 4/10*