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In 1997, John Wagner and Vince Locke released their excellent graphic novel A History of Violence. The story follows an ordinary man, a café owner in a small town in Michigan, whose surprising defense of his family during a robbery reveals a troubled past involving the mafia. In 2005, David Cronenberg adapted the novel into the outstanding film starring Viggo Mortensen, who many consider to have given his best performance apart from his role as Aragorn. The new Tamil version of the story has broken numerous box office records and, with a lengthy runtime of two hours and forty minutes, has the opportunity to further explore the source material. The “uncut” version, with its 18+ rating, has just been released in theaters.
The movie begins in the snowy western Himalayan town of Theog, where a fierce CGI hyena has invaded the local school playground. One brave man, Parthiban (played by the mononymous star Vijay), steps up and successfully defeats the snarling creature. However, this hyena encounter is just a prelude to the epic cafe robbery that will take place.
Please do not question why someone would be surprised that a man who can defeat a wild and dangerous hyena in hand-to-claw combat can also confront a group of human robbers. This story does not operate in that type of reality. The hyena incident serves as an indication that you are entering a world of spectacle, with constant action scenes and increasingly intense confrontations. Leave any thoughts about logic aside and instead enjoy unrealistic car chases, intense fight sequences, and a large group of gangsters singing and dancing in sync, all accompanied by an enjoyable soundtrack similar to Paul Oakenfold’s work on Swordfish.
37-year-old Lokesh Kanagaraj, a former bank employee, directed with energy and passion. He transitioned into directing after winning a short film competition. The influence of Quentin Tarantino is clearly present in his work. Similar to Tarantino, Kanagaraj plans to retire after making 10 films. Based on this impressive film, it would be unfortunate for Kanagaraj to retire so soon.
Source: theguardian.com
