Malayalam cinema has been churning out thriller after thriller lately, with just a few making it to the list of memorable ones. John Luther is pretty engaging when it sticks to its procedural elements, and a monotonous drag when it goes off course to cater to familial sentiments. Jayasurya is in fine form as the titular cop character investigating a series of missing cases. After a mixed first half which is 50% procedural and 50% family drama, the second half is primarily focused around nabbing the perpetrator. Though an incident renders John mostly deaf throughout the second half, we don't see the screenplay offering any major challenges for him or his investigation. A late misdirecting twist only serves the purpose of extending the film's runtime, and when the film's final scene showcases Luther walking out of a station in slow-motion to a thumping score, one feels like it wasn't required in a largely sensible film such as this. DOP Roby Varghese interestingly captures the haunting, fog-filled beauty of Munnar while Shaan Rahman's score is okayish.
Review of John Luther
John Luther
(2022)
Another not-bad addition to the list of Malayalam cop thrillers! [+54%]
6 August 2022