Identity Movie Review: Too many twists spoil the plot
Identity Movie Review: Critics Rating: 2.5 stars, click to give your rating/review, The initial twists are pretty awesome, but the writer-directors Akhil Paul and Anas Khan, aim to cr
Critic's Rating: 2.5/5
Story: Haran Shankar is roped in by the police to make a sketch of a suspected murderer, but the portrait he creates adds to the complications of the case
Review: There are movies, such as masala entertainers, which you can best enjoy if, like they say, you leave your brains at the door. Identity, on the other hand, needs you to keep your mental faculties sharp at all times, so that you don’t miss the complicated twists that keep coming at you.
Tovino plays Haran Shankar, a multi-talented eccentric introvert, who is roped in to help as a sketch artist in a case being investigated by Karnataka police CI Allen Joseph, played by Vinay Rai. Trisha essays Alisha, the witness to a murder, who guides Haran to make the sketch of the suspected murderer. But when he makes the sketch, we are in for a surprise.
Tovino carries off the quirks of his character very well and it’s one of those roles in which you can’t really envision anyone else. Vinay Rai brings style and more to his role. Trisha, Aju Varghese and Vishak Nair play their roles well, but it is a bit disappointing to see a talent like Arjun Radhakrishnan reduced to a very minor part.
A pat on the back for stunt director Yannick Ben, whose earlier credits include Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan and OTT series The Family Man, for the climax action sequence on a flight, that is noteworthy with a woman as one of the contract fighters. She carries it off amazingly well and it is refreshing and a relief that at no point is her gender used for comedic value; an equal-opportunities fight.
The basic premise regarding identity and the core crime are interesting and could have made for a unique and interesting revenge thriller. The initial twists are pretty awesome, but the writer-directors Akhil Paul and Anas Khan, who earlier made Forensic, aim to create so many stylish, OTT (meaning, over the top) twists that it gets difficult to identify with the characters and there is a disconnect, which is the main failing of the film. And you are constantly wondering how anyone could write up and then direct a complicated story like this. It’s a pity, because largely, it is well-made with perfectly coordinated cinematography by Akhil George and cuts by Chaman Chakko.
Review: There are movies, such as masala entertainers, which you can best enjoy if, like they say, you leave your brains at the door. Identity, on the other hand, needs you to keep your mental faculties sharp at all times, so that you don’t miss the complicated twists that keep coming at you.
Tovino plays Haran Shankar, a multi-talented eccentric introvert, who is roped in to help as a sketch artist in a case being investigated by Karnataka police CI Allen Joseph, played by Vinay Rai. Trisha essays Alisha, the witness to a murder, who guides Haran to make the sketch of the suspected murderer. But when he makes the sketch, we are in for a surprise.
Tovino carries off the quirks of his character very well and it’s one of those roles in which you can’t really envision anyone else. Vinay Rai brings style and more to his role. Trisha, Aju Varghese and Vishak Nair play their roles well, but it is a bit disappointing to see a talent like Arjun Radhakrishnan reduced to a very minor part.
A pat on the back for stunt director Yannick Ben, whose earlier credits include Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan and OTT series The Family Man, for the climax action sequence on a flight, that is noteworthy with a woman as one of the contract fighters. She carries it off amazingly well and it is refreshing and a relief that at no point is her gender used for comedic value; an equal-opportunities fight.
The basic premise regarding identity and the core crime are interesting and could have made for a unique and interesting revenge thriller. The initial twists are pretty awesome, but the writer-directors Akhil Paul and Anas Khan, who earlier made Forensic, aim to create so many stylish, OTT (meaning, over the top) twists that it gets difficult to identify with the characters and there is a disconnect, which is the main failing of the film. And you are constantly wondering how anyone could write up and then direct a complicated story like this. It’s a pity, because largely, it is well-made with perfectly coordinated cinematography by Akhil George and cuts by Chaman Chakko.
