Movie Review by Prashant Shukla
Plot:
In a world ruled by crime and betrayal, mafia boss Sakthivel and his brother Manickam rescue a young boy, Amar, during a deadly police shootout and raise him like their own son. Years later, when someone tries to kill Sakthivel, he starts to suspect his own people. Driven by anger and revenge, Sakthivel turns against the very family he once cared for.
The Performances:
Kamal Haasan and Silambarasan TR lead the way with action, violence, style, and a touch of emotion sprinkled throughout. Their chemistry is somewhat memorable, but even that doesn’t rise above average. Apart from them, the rest of the characters feel like mere props, with little to no development-especially Trisha Krishnan, whose potential is completely wasted in the film.
The Technical Aspects:
There’s something about veteran directors in the industry and their obsession with Cinebots that needs to be studied. Just like Shankar, Mani Ratnam too seems fixated on using the Cinebot camera in every action sequence. A tool meant to enhance and smoothen action scenes- something Lokesh Kanagaraj executed brilliantly in Vikram-ends up being jarring to the eye in Thug Life. Disappointing!
Writing and Direction:
The biggest issue with Thug Life is the lack of depth and a missing core that could make you care about the story. Characters come and go without impact or clear motivation, and the dialogues feel scattered, lacking emotional weight. The revenge angle feels hollow and unengaging. Kamal Haasan’s character is deeply flawed, which isn’t the problem-you can have a morally grey protagonist-but at the very least, he should be compelling to watch.
Final Verdict:
In conclusion, Thug Life is beautiful to look at, but how long can you keep staring at something that’s hollow from within?
