29. Por Thozhil (2023)

 

Language : Tamil

Genre: Crime/ Investigation

Por Thozhil, an investigation crime thriller co-written and directed by Vignesh Raja, is modelled after earlier crime thrillers like Ratsasan and Anjam Pathira in its overall plot. However, the movie's micro aspects, in which there is a seminal reorganization of familiar elements; saves the movie from becoming just another crime thriller and makes the movie palatable.

Por Thozhil adheres to the well-known movie trope of "The Rookie Cop and the Badass Mentor";  where both characters are tormented by their own personal demons. The remainder of the film follows the same formula after they are tasked with investigating a string of murders of women. The film contains almost all of the clichés common to this genre, but the clever writing by Vignesh Raja and Alfred Prakash makes up for it by giving each character a unique identity.

The use of humour that naturally arises during the course of the movie is commendable, and it doesn't in any way detract from its overall flow. Again, clever writing is evident when the two main characters disagree about the motivations behind a serial killer; an unnecessary defence is silenced by logical argument; but the characters are not in any way dehumanised as a result.

Given that we have seen similar styles in many recent films, the movie's cinematography is somewhat generic, and the background music also fits into the same category.  Both of the leads, Ashok Selvan and Sarath Kumar, give excellent performances in their respective roles.  Sarath Babu and Sunil Sugatha were excellent in their roles and successfully added the necessary tension to the film. Despite having a significant role in the film, Nikhila Vimal did not have much to do.

The movie's generic climax, where the  final choice of victim was almost predictable and the events leading up to the final act were largely unconvincing, is by far its biggest flaw. But even when the film stumbles as it draws to a close, it manages to keep us intrigued. 

As a whole, Por-thozhil manages to tweak the tropes despite being in a very familiar setting and ultimately turns out to be a watchable affair, making it a success in this regard.

My opinion: Watchable