Leo — Jailer is nothing!
It’s a wonder how people are sitting through this stuff.
Btw, by the title, I didn’t mean Jailer is a terrific film and that Leo is better. Let me get straight to the point. Jailer was horrible, Leo is even more horrible than that. Film makers (like in the West) have realized that to take movie-making to the next level it is only through more cruelty, more gore and violence and so they have upped the mutilations, the decapitations, bludgeoning (it’s with the sledgehammer this time)), the blood-letting, blood-squirting to such a point that in Leo there’s a villain who to sustain and prosper in his business does what no one has ever thought of in recent movies, “Human Sacrifice”! (I recall in one “clip” of KGF they were doing that?) And it reaches a point where the astrologer to the Villain (Btw, I am reminded of Hitler’s astrologer, yes the hardcore communist Nazi had an astrologer who was in constant touch with India’s leading astrologer of those times but that’s another story) suggests the villain to sacrifice his own daughter or son and to which the villain gears up too. In the opening scene where yesteryear’s hero Arjun makes his entry, he is shown chopping off the palms of his men who have betrayed him. Murders, assassinations and voilence fill the film with no end in sight. I am not sure how many movies are going to be released where the protagonist is on a killing spree and getting away with it all. I read on Wikipedia that the film has been censored for violence, foul language use and scenes that involve excessive smoking, drinking and drugs. One can only wonder then what the uncensored film would be like. How all this is going to impact the already vitiated mind of the viewer is ominous. In one of the earlier action scenes done Quentin Tarantino style (or should I say a Thiagarajan Kumararaja style) an old hit (now crass and cheesy today by any standards) is playing in the background while the hero is going about his slaughter is another dread you’ll have to put up with.
(Update — 3'rd Jan 2024) Couldn’t believe when Bing’s algorithm posted this link on the browser today, mentioning someone in Madurai has movied the courst asking for a psychological evaluation of Lokesh Kanakaraj, the director of Leo for the for inciting violence in this film. No wonder! Here’s the link to that report by India Today.
Vijay’s wig (unkempt, uncut hair all straightened up stiff) in his older incarnation is something that intrigues.
While the special effects involving the hyena were decent (those scenes alone cost 15 crores) the later ones involving an SUV and later in a car chase looked hilariously amateurish.
Trisha and Vijay spark no chemistry or love as they keep addressing each other like friends (“dey”, “di” etc.,). It is so bad that their liplocking scene is so unwarranted and ineffective. Most of their scenes and with their children are just plain boring.
Anirudh’s music has succumbed to the satiating limit because of the frequent use of human voices in place of instruments which literally goes overboard in this film though there are fine touches here and there but because of the nature of the film one’s focus isn’t there on the music. I guess with too many projects his music is sure to satiate beyond a point. Be prepared for crass and cheesy lyrics like “I am a/ He is a friggin’ badass…” being repeated to a point of nausea.
Gautam Vausdev Menon has a prominent role in the film but he is soon going to be target of mimicry artistes as his voice can be easily mimicked.
I am reading on Wikipedia that the film was based on the Hollywood film, “A History of violence” and I wonder what was in that film.
Currently available on Netflix, unleash the fast forward button with total abandon!
