Prithviraj's eye for serious, moody thrillers is clearly evident in his recent filmography ("Adam Joan", "Tiyaan", "Ezra", "Oozham"). Heck, the man hasn't made us laugh since "Paavada" or "Amar Akbar Anthony". He seems to enjoy putting on the grieving face though. "Adam Joan" is in fact, peaking Prithvi-in-anguish.
Writer/director Jinu Abraham has decided to narrate the better part of his tale amidst the gorgeous locales of Scotland, with a cinematographer capable of providing the kind of support he needs. The first half establishes the lead characters of Adam Joan (Prithvi), his wife Emy (Mishti), his brother Alan (Rahul Madhav) and wife Shweta (Bhavana), and friend Cyriac (Narain). Adam's wife dies at childbirth (and it wasn't exactly his opinion to have a child so early into his marriage) and while returning to Kerala, he leaves the newborn in the hands of his brother and wife who haven't had a child in 5 years. Six years later, another tragic incident (that involves the cold-blooded murder of his mom and kidnap of his little daughter, by Satan worshippers) brings Adam back to Scotland (with a vengeance), where he unearths some dark secrets.
A major portion of the first half moves along foreseeable lines (of a typical Christian Malayali romance) but where Jinu is able to initially intrigue is during the "investigation" bits. The making is by all means, exceptional for Malayalam movie standards. Almost everything boasts of grandeur in the film. The director seems to have complete knowledge of the luscious beauty the country of Scotland holds, but occasionally, one tends to feel that his choice of wide-angled, panoramic shots were slightly overdone. Almost every third shot involved a solo moving vehicle on a deserted road captured using a drone. Every frame is supposed to look like a travel-themed wallpaper which lends a wee bit of plasticity to the film. The interval block leaves us mildly fascinated in the hope of a horde of neatly packaged twists to follow.
Although we get a few sly references to voodoo-practicing families in Kerala (all the while focusing on the bigger picture in Scotland) post-interval, these aren't fully explored into. While Jinu has definitely done his bit of research in studying the gloomy aesthetics of Satan-worship (the sets, the foreign actors, the dialogues - none of them disappoint!), he could have made the proceedings look a lot racier. The investigative style of Adam and Cyriac even follows a template (repetitive scenes at the dungeon- like chamber with different individuals). We just needed to see more of a psychological struggle for Adam than just his bodily scars to feel invested in his quest. The twists expected in a thriller are heavily lacking and the supposed big-reveal is made pretty early on.
Mark Strange is a good choice for the main antagonist (a high-priest in the cult of Satan) - the body language, dialogue delivery and even the stunts - on point. If only had the writer/director put more emphasis on tightening the script and chopped out a few portions, then 'Adam Joan' would have broken sensational ground as a revenge- thriller. Performance-wise, Prithvi is in his zone as we already know by now. Narain does well playing Adam's right-hand man (his on-screen bromistry with Prithvi is well-known in Malayalam cinema) while the rest pitch in whatever is required of them in the script.
Songs compositions by Deepak Dev and background score by Gopi Sunder are in tune with the mood of the film, although a tad too loud at times (and likely to turn off the older crowd). Cinematography by Jithu Damodar deserves a special mention as there are plenty of scenes shot in filters and low-light but still manages to dazzle overall. The stunt sequence at the end is slightly prolonged and doesn't evoke the kind of teeth-clenching reaction it was supposed to. The hackneyed application of slow-motion does nothing but add to the run-time.
Verdict: For lovers of slow, dark thrillers only!
