Rating: 4/10
Thug Life was supposed to be the grand reunion between Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan 38 years after the pair united for the cult-classic Nayakan. And so, naturally expectations were high.
Unfortunately, the movie fails to utilise the immense talent on screen and entertain over its 163-minute runtime.
Despite some ‘mass’ moments of fan service and great music composed by A R Rahman, Thug Life was a disappointment.
It follows the story of Rangaraya Sakthivel Naicker played by Kamal Haasan, a mafia don and the twists and turns in his life.
Silambarasan T R plays Amar, Sakthivel’s adoptive son and the heir to his throne.
The problem with Thug Life is that there’s too much going on – there are four different and distinct villains, each with their own storyline.
It’s not all bad news though, the first half is pretty gripping. And both Silambarasan and Kamal Haasan do commendable jobs.
The movie, however, fails in direction and script.
This is one of those movies that did not feel like it was made by the master filmmaker Mani Ratnam.
Don’t get me wrong, certain frames and action sequences were absolutely stunning, but the movie as a whole didn’t feel cohesive.
I was also disappointed with the way female characters were treated – none of them had a complete arc.
Overall, Thug Life was not worth the hype.
Deviprasad Nair