Ace

Ace is a movie that blends comedy, romance, thrills, and brainy twists into a single package. The first half starts with light humor. Vijay Sethupathi plays 'Bolt Kannan' who is an underdog with charm - a man who arrives in Malaysia with nothing but ends up entangled in a poker game gone wrong. His chemistry with Rukmini Vasanth is light and felt natural as the director takes his time to show the transition from friendship to love, which some people may find slow. The transition from fun to tension is smooth, and the pre-interval scene adds a satisfying adrenaline rush.

The second half is where the film truly shines. Rather than relying solely on brawn or over-the-top action, Ace leans into deception and strategy - making it feel less like a violent gangster flick and more like a mind game. The film relies heavily on Yogi Babu's comedy in both the halves, so if that's something you want, Ace definitely delivers!

There's not much music, at least in the second half, but the first half's music scenes - though long were calming to see. Near the pre-climax sequence it seems to drag, but climax is done well. Some of the scenes have lazy writing but on the whole it doesn't disappoint even with it's own lows and highs.

While the plot sticks to some cliché lines, it didn't feel boring. The pacing is good, the twists land well, and the final scene leaves the audience with a grin. Ace might not be something unique, but it delivers exactly what it promises: a stylish, engaging, and satisfying story that's fun to watch and easy to revisit.

Overall: Ace is an example of a fun to watch masala film that relies more on mind games and humor than plain action. Relies heavily on Vijay Sethupati and Yogi Babu's comedy.

After a very long time, VJS is back as a solid entertainer with Yogibabu. The screenplay itself shows the director's skill and the way he portrays each character in the movie speaks of it. The title of the movie itself tells you about the movie and storyline, but there is much more than that. The movie really feels close to those who know about Malaysia's lifestyle and people. Though it was a silent release, the movie came out as a banger. If you are looking for a movie to get lost in the world of laughter and classic commercials. Then, this movie is for you. Just feel the magic of VJS's presence on the screen and scream <3.

'Makkal Selvan' Vijaysethupathi 'Ace'd the movie with perfect style & acting. Combo of Vijay Sethupathi and Yogi Babu was very entertaining & hilarious and worked out extremely well.

This movie is full of thrills and mostly filled with fun moments and kept the mood in a light hearted way. Not a strong storyline to corrolate but kept the audience engaging and well connected with the movie. Director Arumuga Kumar has done a neat job in handling the movie in such a good way.

Babloo Prithiveeraj negative shade in acting worked out very well and remainded of similar strong neagtive role in old 'Ajith' movie. Strong villain character Avinash with his look and strong dialogue delivery was very impactful.

Overall a very good movie to watch which keeps us entertaining continuously.

Bolt Kannan arrives in Malaysia and Arivu picks him up, while pretending to be a rich businessman. With his lies, Arivu is trying to woo his love interest Kalpana, who is in need of money. Kannan is hired by Kalpana at her restaurant and he even falls for Rukku after she accuses him of being a thief. As their love blossoms, he is told that Rukku is in need of money to free herself from her abusive cop stepfather. In his attempt to arrange money for her, Kannan gets in trouble with a local loan shark / goon Dharma and ends up with a larger debt to him. Now, Arivu not only has to arrange money for Rukku but also pay off Dharma. What plan does he come up with to get out of this mess and will he able to pull it off, forms rest of the story.

Arumuga Kumar's story is decent and the screenplay tilts towards keeping things light throughput. It doesn't pay off as the stakes are never that high to feel the seriousness of the situation. There is hero elevation but that is not the kind of film Arumuga and Vijay Sethupathi want this one to be, so the humor dilutes it instantly. The uneven narrative dealing with a cunning man trying to outsmart a loan shark, a corrupt cop and actually Malaysian cops after pulling off an heist, needed a tighter screenplay. In his attempt, the story stops being engaging and the songs appeared as speedbreakers. Vijay Sethupathi and Yogi Babu with generic writing can only do so much to shoulder the narrative. The convenient writing also kept the proceedings dull, especially in the second half. I am going with a lenient rating, only for the attempt to keep it a light entertainer but it deserved better writing.

Ace (2025) : Movie Review -

Ace has all the right ingredients to cater to the masses, though it misses the finesse expected by the class audience. The film treads familiar ground-con dramas with mistaken identities and emotional backstories-so predictability does creep in. Fortunately, it doesn't become tiresome. The 155-minute runtime feels unnecessarily stretched for a con-thriller, which usually lands better around the two-hour mark. One unique twist here is that the identity of the protagonist is never fully revealed-even after the film ends.

The story, directed by Arumuga Kumar, follows Bolt Kannan (Vijay Sethupathi), who arrives in a foreign country and is mistakenly hired by Arivu (Yogi Babu). Taking advantage of the situation, Bolt plays along and eventually falls for Rukku (Rukmini Vasanth), who's facing abuse at the hands of her stepfather, Rajadurai (Babloo Prithiveeraj). To help Rukku escape and also repay a debt incurred while trying to double money for a dress, Bolt must navigate a world of cons, loans, and poker scams. The plot stays engaging with its many twists, though it occasionally slips into dated tropes and poor clichés.

Characters like Arivu with his silly decisions, or the overdone chase sequences and conveniently secretive leads, drag the narrative down. The comedy quotient is uneven-some jokes fall flat, but a few manage to evoke genuine laughter. Vijay Sethupathi, however, shines in a full-blown south-hero avatar after a while. He's got the full package-brawn, brains, charm, emotional depth, and a knack for manipulation. He's the savior, the lover, the fighter-practically unstoppable, as expected from such roles.

Rukmini Vasanth and Divya Pillai look stunning and deliver respectable performances. Yogi Babu, while not entirely convincing, brings enough energy to his role. BS Avinash is an effective villain, and Babloo Prithiveeraj is convincingly cruel. The rest of the supporting cast does a serviceable job. Action sequences vary in quality-some are punchy, others exhausting. The cinematography is decent, but the screenplay needed tightening. Director Arumuga Kumar maintains a steady hand but misses out on delivering that one big moment-the ace card, so to speak. With so many twists and build-ups, you expect a grand reveal, but Ace ends up playing it safe.

RATING - 5/10*