Vikram Vedha (2017)

Director: Pushkar and Gayatri

Story: Pushkar and Gayatri

Cast: R. Madhavan, Vijay Sethupathi, Shraddha Srinath

Music: Sam C. S

Time: 147 minutes

Bottom-line: Thoroughly entertaining; bonus points for the climax

The much anticipated film of the year, Vikram Vedha stars two highly popular actors: R. Madhavan and Vijay Sethupathi, in the lead roles, with a lot of new faces: Kathir, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar and Shraddha Srinath, in the supporting roles. The story takes its title from the classic tale of King Vikram and the ghost Betal; the king was given a task of capturing the ghost, who would narrate a story to the king on every attempt, and ask a riddle at the end, and would escape if the king answered right.

 

Madhavan as Vikram

Inspector Vikram (Madhavan) is brave, honest, and most importantly, clean as a whistle. Vikram and his partner, Simon, are part of an encounter operation to capture the dreaded criminal, Vedha (Sethupathi). Vedha is not present, but soon after the counter, Vedha himself surrenders himself to the police. When interrogated, he reveals nothing; when Vikram talks to him, Vedha offers to tell his life story, and asks Vikram a moral question at the end. Immediately after, Vedha is bailed out by his lawyer, Vikram’s wife, Priya (Srinath). This causes tension inside the household as well. As the story progresses, Vikram and Vedha play a game of wits against each other. As Vedha questions Vikram further, the latter realises that nothing is as plain as it seems, and no one is as clean as they seem; not even himself.

 

Sethupathi as Vedha

This is one of those films that is understood better in retrospect; it starts to make more sense when you discuss plot elements, and when you sit and think about the story. The structure of the story – and the tales within the tale – is really good. On hearing Vedha’s first story, Vikram understands that no one is born a criminal; by the second story, he finds himself saying that he killed an innocent victim, and by the end of the film, Vikram realises that everyone is a “grey” character; no one’s purely innocent, no one is purely guilty. The humour bits are well-written, and the romance doesn’t take up too much time. The film deserves brownie points for the climax: the cliff-hanger ending keeps tension at screaming point before cutting to black. This is similar to the last scene of Thegidi, but I hope neither film gets a sequel; that would really spoil it.

 

Madhavan, with Shraddha as Priya

The cinematography is good, and I like the way a lot of subtle hints are given – all of which are certainly noticeable and give way to the final plot twist. The few “insignificant” lines of dialogue, the camera shots that capture something off-focus matter too. The standard character intros are craftily created so that they receive maximum cheer from the audience. Sethupathi’s entry is essentially identical to John Doe’s intro in Se7en. Another interesting thing the camera captures is how in the first meeting between Vikram and Vedha, the former wears a white shirt, and in the second, he wears a grey one, and finally, black – corresponding to his change in perception too!

Madhavan has done a decent job playing the protagonist. It was good to see him play a non-chocolate-boy role (his other notable “grey” role being Inba in Ayutha Ezhuthu). Vijay Sethupathi is the star of the film: with his style, cunning, stories and punch lines, the way he toys around with Vikram is downright brilliant. One thing about the casting that I didn’t like is that there are too many characters with minor roles: it is difficult to follow who’s killing whom, who is chasing whom, as well as to keep track between Vedha’s story in the past and Vikram’s doings in the present.

The plot also gets a bit too complicated, but it is nicely patched up in the end. There are too many plot devices though – too many things happening in an illogical manner, just for the sake of the story to go the way it did. But, if you let them all go because they add to the drama, then the storyline is pretty solid. The killer background score, the action and excellent acting are the other things that you should look out for.

My Rating: 4/5

Aliens (1986)

Director: James Cameron
Story: James Cameron
Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Carrie Henn
Music: James Horner
Time: 137 minutes
Bottom-line: Science, drama, horror... Aliens has it all! 

Following the success of The Terminator, Cameron returns to film-making two years later, with this blockbuster. Aliens is the sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1979 Alien, but this film comes with less gore, more action, more visual effects and the typical James Cameron melodrama
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There are some places in the universe you don’t go alone...
After 57 years in statis, Ellen Ripley (Weaver) is discovered by the crew of Weyland-Yutani Corporation, and is debriefed about the destruction of her ship. They refuse to believe her when she says that an Alien killed her crew and destroyed her ship (plot of the 1979 film). The exomoon where Ripley’s ship encountered alien eggs is now occupied by 60-70 families – the terraforming colony. When contact with them is suddenly lost, Ripley is asked to be a guide as the marines investigate the matter. Though initially refraining to do so because of her traumatic experience, she reluctantly agrees. But soon the mission brings forth innumerable complications, and one idea becomes clear: this time, it’s war...

Weaver as Ripley (left) and
Henn as Newt

Aliens is one of those sequels that fare better than the prequels in film franchises (of course, the rest of the Alien films in the franchise were major failures!). The film emphasises more on human emotions and connections – portrayed through the relationship between Ripley and Newt, who is a traumatized young female survivor. In fact, this mother-daughter-like relationship is the basis for the dramatic climax, constructed in typical Cameron style. The film starts by introducing the crew members, then letting the audience get acquainted with the aliens before the actual “war”.

Paul Reiser as Burke (middle), Biehn as
Hicks (2nd from right), Paxton as
Hudson (rightmost) 

Throughout the story the special effects and the cinematography are terrific, and these of course became trademarks of Cameron films in the years to come (five of his seven major directorial films have won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects). The settings, including the gargantuan spaceships and the machinery were exciting to watch. Be prepared to deal with visuals of really heinous and grotesque creatures Cameron calls “aliens”, because so perfect is the CGI that these images will creep you out any day!

Sigourney Weaver’s role as Ellen Ripley is widely considered to be her magnum opus. The nomination for the Academy Award was a big event then because it was perhaps the first time a lead character in a science fiction movie was nominated. Displaying strong willpower to survive and to protect those around her, this female hero could well be one of the most powerful heroes in cinema history. The other actors shown predominantly on screen are Michael Biehn – who plays the supportive partner of Ripley – Bill Paxton – who plays the apprehensive and agitated marine – and Carrie Henn as Newt.

With a good mix of action, science and drama in its story, boosted by committed performances by Weaver and the supporting cast, Cameron’s Aliens may not be his most remembered film, and it may not have as strong an impact as Ridley Scott’s prequel, but it does have its own strengths, which make it a sci-fi thriller worth watching!

My Rating: 3.5/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 98% 

True Lies (1994)

Director: James Cameron

Screenplay: James Cameron (based on the film La Totale!)

Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold

Music: Brad Fiedel

Time: 141 minutes

Bottom-line: Bit of humour, loads of action, and amazing stuff from Jamie Lee Curtis

James Cameron’s True Lies – along with Titanic – is, in several ways, different from his other films. Taking a break after directing four science fiction films, Cameron directs the story of a spy leading a double life. The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Tom Arnold in the lead roles, with Art Malik, Bill Paxton and Tia Carrere in the supporting roles. 

Harry Tasker (Schwarzenegger) is a family man with a wife, Helen (Curtis) and daughter, Dana. They think he is an ordinary computer salesman, but he is actually a spy for a counter-terrorism organisation called Omega Sector. Harry and his partner, Albert (Arnold) discover the existence of a terrorist group called “Crimson Jihad”, led by Salim Aziz (Malik). As Harry trails the terrorists, he also ends up distancing himself from his family. Soon enough, he finds out that Helen is having an affair with Simon (Paxton), a car salesman pretending to be a spy. When Helen confesses that she needed to spice her life up a little bit, Harry decides to give her the experience of a lifetime. Unfortunately, Harry’s setup turns into an actual mission when Aziz and his men kidnap both Harry and Helen.

 

Schwarzenegger as Harry, and Curtis as Helen

While Schwarzenegger is far from being a good actor, he is one guy who has the perfect physique to play a terminator, or better, a secret agent. That is one thing that makes some of the action in the film, believable. Gunfights, a chase on horseback, killing terrorists from a fighter plane and using brute force to beat up bad guys, Harry Tasker can do it all. What Schwarzenegger cannot do, is to play a normal character – like the family man he is supposed to be. Jamie Lee Curtis, on the other hand, has outdone herself in acting. Playing a wife to her husband, posing as a wife for Simon, acting as a prostitute, being a woman of action when the situation demands it, she has done everything. Her performance was the best part of the film. Bill Paxton’s conic supporting role was quite effective.

 

Malik as Aziz

Most of the action in the film is spectacular to see, thanks to the visual effects, which is mostly the reason people watch Cameron films. The explosions, the weaponry, the insane stunts are responsible for the action, while Tom Arnold’s and Bill Paxton’s characters, along with the dialogue, provide the humour content. The storyline of the movie, as such, is not that impressive – then again, none of Cameron’s stories are – but there are several scenes of interest: the one where Harry and Albert interrogate Helen, and later, Simon, the one where Helen acts like a hooker, and the action-packed climax (an inspiration to a certain shootout in Breaking Bad, perhaps?).

 

Paxton as Simon

Yes, the film stretches a lot, the acting – Curtis apart – is below average, but given that it is a Cameron film, it lives up to his reputation of skilled use of special effects, loads of action, and surprisingly, decent humour too. It’s not a great film, but it’s fun.

My Rating: 3/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 72%  

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

Director: Sidney Lumet

Screenplay: Frank Pierson (based on the article by P.F. Kluge and Thomas Moore)

Cast: Al Pacino, John Cazale, Chris Sarandon

Time: 125 minutes

Bottom-line:  Edge-of-the-seat suspense, with riveting tension

The robbery should have taken ten minutes.

Based on the true bank robbery incident orchestrated by John Wojtowicz and Salvatore Naturale in 1972, Dog Day Afternoon is a faithful two-hour recreation of the same incident. The film stars Al Pacino and John Cazale in the lead roles, with Chris Sarandon, Charles Durning and James Broderick in the supporting roles.

Four hours later, the bank was like a circus sideshow.

August 22, 1972: Sonny Wortzik (Pacino) and his partners Salvatore “Sal” Naturale (Cazale) and Stevie plan to rob the First Brooklyn Savings Bank. Almost immediately after they take out their guns, Stevie loses his nerve and flees. Sonny discovers that they have arrived after the daily cash pickup, and so, only $1100 is left in the bank. He then takes all the traveller’s cheques, and to prevent them from being traced, burns the bank register. The fire attracts the attention of the people across the street, and soon, a bunch of cops, led by Sergeant Moretti (Durning), surround the bank. Sonny and Sal hold the members of the bank hostage, while planning a getaway route. As minutes become hours, the tension rises among the robbers, hostages, cops and the public. What is the outcome of this foiled robbery?

Pacino as Sonny (right) and Cazale as Sal 

Eight hours later, it was the hottest thing on TV.

The two-hour duration of the film covers incidents that take place over half a day or so, and as far as viewing experience is concerned, it is effectively in real-time. Lumet – although taking the material from a real incident – gives great importance to the characters rather than the incidents, and that what makes Dog Day Afternoon different from other hostage films, like Die Hard or Speed. Sonny is constantly looking to “keep everyone happy”, by negotiating. His calmness wins the admiration of the public, and even the FBI agent who replaces Moretti later; and in fact, the hostages get along with the robbers – they even toy around with Sonny’s gun. Sal, on the other hand, means only business. All he wants is to get out of the situation at any cost.

Sarandon as Leon

Twelve hours later, it was history.

The psychological games played by Sonny and the cops keep you riveted in your seat. The tension atmosphere that exists within the bank room is superbly created. It is amazing, in retrospect, when you think of all the things that could have gone wrong had Sonny or the cops lost their patience; that level of control is what keeps the suspense at screaming point. Sonny’s psyche is also disturbed with the involvement of Leon (Sarandon), his transgender wife, and his mother, who attempt to dissuade him from the robbery. Al Pacino’s acting takes the film to a whole new level: his bargaining tactics, his cunning, the way he prepares for practically any operation the cops might pull off, and his panache and showmanship in front of his fans… this might not be his most famous roles, but certainly one of his best.

The hostages, along with Sonny

And it is all true.

With Lumet’s splendid direction – he seems to have a knack for directing real time films (12 Angry Men – what a masterpiece!) – and Pacino’s wonderful acting, Dog Day Afternoon is a film that is more than just a hostage situation; there is so much more depth to the characters and way the situations are portrayed… and that makes it considerably more effective.

My Rating: 3.5/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 95%