Officer on Duty

Movie that is unnecessarily dragged and full of unnecessary and unrealistic stunt sequences.

Poorly researched script, people who wrote it clearly don't understand drugs or social psychology and cognitive ability of drug users. Looks like the writers were just trying to take a dig on the Gen Z.

Lazy writing of characters with no grey elements. The moral compass of characters or their revenge arc does not make any sense.

Unnecessarily dragged, 3/4th of the movie could have been edited out. Unnecessary stunt scenes which could have easily been avoided. None of the cops seem to have guns in the movie.

Writers couldn't decide whether to make a suspense thriller or revenge story. As a result ended with nothing but garbage.

Ratings given for the movie do not make sense, absolutely not worth watching.

Jithu Ashraf's directorial debut, Officer on Duty, is a crime investigation thriller that revolves around various sexual as*aults, su*cides, and murders. Written by Shahi Kabir, the film starts off brilliantly, with an almost near-perfect first half that not only engages the audience but also delivers the thrill. However, while the second half still delivers, the introduction of commercial elements and a stretched screenplay prevent it from reaching its full potential. Jakes Bejoy once again delivers a brilliant score, and the music is commendable. The camerawork, editing, and sound design are also impressive.

Kunchacko Boban excels as the troubled yet diligent police officer, convincingly portraying a character disturbed by personal tragedy. Priyamani supports him well. The antagonist gang, led by Vishak Nair,does a good job, but at times, their portrayal becomes too over-the-top, veering into cliché territory. The rest of the cast performs decently. The action sequences are well-executed. The screenplay reveals the right information at the right time, though the commercial elements slightly detract from the impact. Overall,Officer on Duty is a very good thriller, though its second half follows a formulaic approach.

Nevertheless, definitely recommended.

OVERALL -6.5/10.

The first half of this is a great procedural thriller. Good attention to detail, very fast paced, logical, great score, cinematic. Then the Saw soundtrack gets plagiarised, and some flashbacks start happening (like those movies) that start stretching logic to breaking point. Throughout the second half, you'll be so distracted by various motives, and how certain characters would have achieved certain things (and found certain people, and why) that all the credibility of the first half starts draining fast. It was all just washing over me by the overlong climax.

It's a shame, because without addressing motive with the emotional intelligence of a ten year old, it could have been great (and forty minutes shorter). It's the same "ugh, really?" feeling I had in the last act of Spectre. It ends up turning the very real problem of child grooming and abuse into a really ignorant plot device.

Also, the divisive framing of these characters into 'villains' and 'hero' leaves a bad taste the more you think about what actually happened. The general idea could have been dealt with so much more intelligently (like The Last Of Us Part 2 for eg.).

Shahi Kabir's most mainstream thriller screenplay (..thus far) largely works because of its strong performances and technical efforts. Yes, there are some usual cop movie tropes like the PTSD-induced protagonist, his family eventually coming under threat, rape-revenge-blackmail implementing baddies, and so on. But credit where it's due, this absolutely does NOT feel like a debut director's work. Jithu Ashraf (who also acts in a key role) understands the assignment and navigates the splendidly-paced screenplay in a non-linear manner, making most of the little details matter. Kunchacko Boban pulls off CI Harishankar like a seasoned veteran, letting his rugged body language do most of the heavy lifting. We learn of the character's past in a sufficiently effective flashback, and to some extent, such an evolution contributes to the physicality involved in the latter acts. The stylized gang of baddies, led by Vishak Nair, includes some interesting finds.

Roby Varghese Raj (director of Kannur Squad) is cranking the camera here, and his shaky, handheld approach works wonders for the chase and fight sequences. Chaman Chakko is now an editor in high demand, and the way he paces the film and weaves the action in between regular procedural scenes (and toys with contrasting lighting) is excellent. Jakes Bejoy uses a little too much Saw-inspired score, but he succeeds in delivering a solid soundtrack overall; a couple of soundbites are instant earworms.

Also, the women in the film (other than the victims) hold their ground. That goes for Priyamani, the two women antagonists, and even the little girl who plays Harishankar's younger daughter. A fight sequence set inside a mortuary is deliciously choreographed and shot. The final act does lose a bit of steam and reminds you of Memories, yet the film manages to keep you on edge. Though somewhat formulaic and predictable in places, I'll recommend Officer on Duty for those who enjoy intense, sporadically violent cop thrillers.

I was really excited about this movie, and it was surprising to learn that it was the only one certified as a hit in theaters last month. I won't say praise the screenplay much, it's not the best one from Shahi but it's still an engaging one. There were a few plotholes in the film and it could have been easily avoided.

I think ' Officer on Duty' is one of the biggest hits of Kunchak's career and he has portrayed his role properly. Recently, he has been selecting some quality scripts. Kudos to that effort.

Another highlight of this film, is the music from Jakes Bejoy. The soundtrack is very apt for a movie like this.

The production design was also okay but as mentioned above there are a few plotholes that could have been easily avoided. What I'm talking about are things that the filmmakers could have easily sorted, and everyone watching the movie would easily notice those elements.