'Killer', starring Vijay Antony, Arjun Sarja and Ashima Narwal, hit the screens this Friday. Here is our review of the crime and investigative thriller.
Story:
The film opens with the blurred image of a man murdering a girl (Ashima Narwal) by slitting her throat. Moments later, the body of a charred man is found and Prabhakar (Vijay Antony) surrenders to the police.
The flashback shows that Prabhakar and Jayanthi (Ashima Narwal) are neighbours and he is stalking her. A sharp-witted cop named Karthik (Arjun) starts investigating and suspects that Jayanthi and her mother (played by Seetha) must have committed the murder.
Are the two women guilty? What is the connection between them and Prabhakar? And is Prabhakar a cold-blooded psychopathic murderer or something beyond is what 'Killer' is all about.
Analysis:
Director Andrew Louis has taken inspiration from the Japanese novel 'The Devotion of Suspect X' for the film. Let's find out what works and what doesn't.
'Killer' stages its first act in a totally incomprehensible manner. We are introduced to a lot of elements that don't make sense when seen separately. A murder on the beach, an investigation that goes nowhere, the schizophrenia angle to the lead character, so on and so forth, invite the audience to think hard.
Thrillers can be very mentally strenuous to watch. 'Killer' falls in this category mainly because of the way the first act plays out. There should have been some compensatory entertainment in the form of thrilling scenes immediately after this.
The actual revelation comes in the climax, which is expected of a thriller. However, the long monologues of different characters in this segment make it all feel very dry and even single-note.
The element of hallucination should have been narrated with imaginativeness. The gloominess of Vijay Antony's character comes undone after a point precisely because of this, and also because of the almost deadpan environment. The not-so-pleasing duets only exacerbate all this.
Arjun's character gets to know who Prabhakar is at the halfway mark and it is as if he doesn't get his act together even after this crucial clue is known.
Barring the monologues, though, the last 25 minutes are gripping enough. Effort should have been made to make the characters played by Ashima and Seetha pity-evoking.
Vijay Antony once again delivers an earnest performance without resorting to mainstream hero's theatrics. There is a twist to his characterisation. Arjun is at his usual best, bringing dignity to the cop's role. Others are just about OK.
Simon K King's theme music is already a hit and it is used in different orchestrations throughout the film to solid effect. The songs, however, are inappropriately placed. Mukesh's cinematography is another big plus, conveying the tense moments. Richard Kevin could have hastened the pace as the less than the 190-minute runtime is not as crisp as it should be.
Verdict:
'Killer' gets its pre-climax and climax sequences alright. The storyline, performances, the BGM and the cinematography are its assets. On the other hand, tiresome narration in the first half, monologues, and a modicum of a misleading screenplay are its downsides.
