wogma rating: Watch, but no rush (?)
quick review:
A reasonably well-made Hindi suspense thriller. A non-agenda Akshay Kumar film. Both rare things I get to say. Aptly spooked and pleasantly surprised to say both of them together. (Available On Hotstar)
Review Granted, I get spooked easily and take absolutely no pleasure in watching mutilated bodies of teenage girls, but I wouldn’t want that to take away from the suspense and drama Cuttputlli creates.
The crime drama maintains an even pace from the word go, even if it takes some time to set up the background, and does so quite shabbily. Actually, for the first half hour, I was pretty much setting myself up to watch one cliché after another.
What else can one expect when characters who have known each other for years talk to each other as if they are meeting each other for the first time? This is done obviously to tell the audience about the character. The same goes for the introduction given to the mind of a serial killer by a scriptwriter who does his research well. Are they telling us that police officers know less than the seasoned Dexter-watching audience?
Fortunately though, soon enough, this gives way to some decent story-telling. Or it builds up the drama well, for sure. The writing, once the initial spoon-feeding wears off, comes across as self-aware too. Just when the story starts to become repetitive, you are thrown into a tangential subplot. This is a detour of sorts and interestingly isn’t jarring. While some credit can go to the writing that weaves it into the main story, it is also the inherent strength of that sub-story. Also, an unexpected victim raises the stakes, which is very unlike an Akshay Kumar film.
In fact, this is one of his rare films in which the actor doesn’t come in the way of the story’s telling. Also, he sports a few more expressions than his usual bravado, macho ones. Interestingly, even though there aren’t too many other actors who get as much screen space as he does, enough side actors get space to not let Cuttputlli become an out-and-out Akshay Kumar film. I still cringe at the sight of this 50+-year-old romancing a woman almost half his age. No, it doesn’t matter that the character is said to be 36 years old. Thankfully, there isn’t much romancing.
Yes, Cuttputlli also becomes one of those films that is made better because of what it doesn’t have than what it has—like an overwhelming star or opportune coincidences. This doesn’t mean there are no loopholes after the first half hour. A few clues seem to drop as it suits the writer rather than the story. A particularly jarring one was when the motivation of a person who recorded a weird video, as he follows one of the victims, is never questioned. And once they show the video, no one asks them why they didn’t let the cops know earlier.
Having said that, this is also one of the rare suspense thrillers in which I didn’t mind the perpetrator just narrating their motivation as a part of the climax. I wonder if it has anything to do with me being done with the gore and not having the stomach to watch anymore. I hope not.
Parental Guidance: * Violence: Loads * Language: Clean * Nudity & Sexual content: None * Concept: A serial killer on the prowl * General Look and Feel: Crisp. Scary.
Detailed Ratings (out of 5): * Direction: 3.5 * Story: 4 * Lead Actors: 3 * Character Artists: 3
Cuttputlli - Movie Details
Horror,
Social,
Suspense,
Thriller