Story
Karnan (Kamal Haasan) is a mysterious person who dabbles in liquor, drugs and prostitute house. A team of masked men keep killing a few cops. They live-record these killings and send the videos to the police department as a warning. They claim to fight against the system that doesn’t take action against drug menace. Karnan too is killed by these masked men. Amar (Fahadh Faasil) is an independent private agent who helps cops with dirty work. Amar is given the responsibility to find out about masked men. Santhanam (Vijay Sethupathi) is a drug lord whose face is not known to the public. Rest of the story is a triangular conflict among Karnan, Amar and Santhanam.
Artists Performance
It’s good to see Kamal Haasan in a true-blue and stylish action avatar after ages. He is suave as an old man waging a war. His swag is cool. There are so many facets to his character and he keeps that intrigue intact till the real avatar is revealed. It’s a feast for Kamal’s fans. Fahadh Faasil is excellent as the investigator. Vijay Sethupathi is unique as the drug kingpin. Loved the shot where he walks bare-chested and sits on the back of the bike during the character introduction scene. Suriya is cast in a surprising role and he is fantastic.
Technical departments
Story - screenplay - direction: Director Lokesh Kanagaraj penned the story with a sole intent of creating a vigilante kind of Marvel film for Indian cinema. He has connected the character to 1986 film Agent Vikram and shown this as a story happening after 36 years. Being a genuine fan of Kamal Haasan, the director has created a superb role with a huge scope for fireworks for Kamal’s character. It’s more like a Hollywood action thriller where stunts are given high priority with story and emotion running under current. He has created dark yet stylish characters and created a good conflict. The grandson sentiment runs alongside the main story of the film. First half of the film is complex and the interval block is good. With the story wide open, the second half is more straightforward with continuous action sequences. With the introduction of Suriya’s character towards the end, the director hints us with a possible sequel. Screenplay of the film would have been more gripping. The emotion gets diluted in the end due to excessive fights (unlike in Khaithi where the little girl emotion runs throughout).
Other departments: Anirudh’s contribution with background music for this film is gigantic. He adds a lot of adrenaline rush to the action sequences and characters with his background music. Cinematography by Girish Gangadharan (Jallukattu fame) is outstanding. He has created a dark environment fit for action blocks. Editing by Philomin Raj is sharp. Dialogues are neat. The action choreography by Anbariv is superb. Production values are good.
Analysis: Vikram Hit List is an action entertainer that’s designed in the lines of Marvel’s vigilante films. You get to see the best Kamal Haasan in the last two decades in this film. He plays an older (enough to be a grandfather) role with swag and suave. Plus points are stellar star cast, superb action sequences, terrific music and stylized direction. On the flipside, the screenplay should have been more gripping and emotions get diluted towards the end despite having a kid sentiment. On the whole, Vikram is a feast to action movie lovers and Vintage action hero Kamal Haasan is back with a bang.
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