Kooman

One of jeethu josephs strongest field is investigative suspense thriller. He has made a few good movies and a few bad movies but none of his investigative suspense thriller movies are bad. This one is a really good movie. The strongest point is it's story and writing. I love jeethu Joseph as a writer. He knows how to handle exposition in a amazing way in his suspense thriller movies. The writing is so good as usual in this movie also. Asif ali gave a decent performance. I liked the way his character was treated (gave me a kind of nightcrawler vibes). The background music in few places were nice. The cinematography was decent, liked the way they used dolly zoom in a few places.

Jeethu Joseph usually waves away criticism regarding his making style. His previous movie Drishyam 2 got a lot of praises but a few criticism regarding it's making style. Personaly i think Drishyam 2 is a masterpiece. Even though the movie had very simple treatment, the writing just shines like a star, so the making style never really bothered me. But in this movie it becomes very evident. There needs to be a little upgrading in the making style. So many movies with simple story and basic screenplay just gets enhanced into a nice movie experience with its making style. This movie has a strong base but the movie somehow dosent feel utilised to it's full potential.

Kooman is a testament to Jeethu Joseph's skill in crafting seat-edge thrillers. It also extracts an insanely good performance from Asif Ali - playing a fairly intelligent cop named Giri, who also decides to embark on a series of burglaries as a means to get back at his superior officer. The first half shows his ruthlessness at exacting revenge on people who shame or ridicule him at the slightest, and Asif's subtle expression changes during these stretches are fantastic to watch. The screenplay (by KR Krishna Kumar) is also good at tapping into the vulnerable side of a steadfast policeman, and we as viewers are driven to get behind his criminal choices.

In Kooman, we actually get two films instead of one - it's a tale of two halves. While the first focuses on his nightly shenanigans which itself keeps you interested, it further dives into a series of murders happening in the area, and Giri finds himself tied to one of them in unexpected ways. Giri's obsession with robbing people just for kicks is what gets him embroiled in this issue. The film then moves ahead from its initial central conflict and starts to revolve around Giri's unofficial investigation on finding the murderer. If not for the recent events that unfolded in Kerala, the climax would have come across as rather absurd and unbelievable in this day and age. But kudos to the writer and director in their ability to prophesize a ghastly incident, and for executing it in a sufficiently thrilling way.

The villain reveal (and the extended climax) do not fetch any points, mostly since it became rather obvious in the scenes preceding it. The action set-piece is also pretty tame, and the mere mention of a character's queerness (as an excuse for villainy) takes away ½ a star. All said and done, I'll recommend the appropriately-titled Kooman to those who relish thrillers. Special mention to Jaffer Idukki for his wicked performance as a semi-retired thief, especially in that scene where he elucidates the "high" he gets from thieving. Vishnu Shyam's score is also top-notch. Give Asif Ali more such roles, please!

Jeethu Joseph has reveled in taking existing thriller archetypes and dismantling them with his scripts that often turn the narrative on its head with completely unexpected twists and thrills. Despite some missteps in his filmography like "Oozham (2016)" and "The Body (2019)", the veteran master of murder mysteries returns to full form in "Kooman", effectively using an excellent Asif Ali to narrate an immersive tale of a deeply damaged investigator hot on the heels of an elusive, psychotic serial killer.

Asif Ali disappears into the character of "Giri", a scheming, near-megalomaniacal police constable, who while excelling in his deductive and investigative skills, often displays psychotic tendencies and a desire to get back at people who he perceives as having wronged him. His mentor, retired CI Somasekharan (an on-point Renji Panicker) tries his darndest to keep him in check and diverts his energies to the search for a ritualistic serial killer who has eluded authorities for decades.

While the first half of the film painstakingly builds up the multifaceted character of "Giri", Jeethu Joseph pulls off a masterful set of twists in the second half that turns the narrative flow on its head, making the audience root for the grey-shaded protagonist. Jaffer Idukki excels in yet another well-written supporting role, while Hannah Reji Koshy, Baburaj and the ever-dependable Pauly Valsan turn in noteworthy performances.

But it is the writing from K. R Krishna Kumar and the mold-breaking directorial prowess of Jeethu Joseph that is the true hero here, utilizing the diminutive Asif Ali to glorious effect, riding on their depiction of the unassuming but observant and intelligent investigator rather than the alpha male, all-conquering superhero detective that mainstream cinema has driven down out throats for far too long. Trust Jeethu Joseph to innovate yet again in a genre that has craved ingenuity for ages now. "Kooman" is a refreshing thriller and a must-watch theatre experience. Highly recommended!

A nice one from Jeetu Joseph. First half was a breeze. Asif Ali played to perfection the character of a police officer ably supported by Ranji Panicker,although certain scenes reminds of previous characters played by him. Senior Police officer-Jayaraman was a bit disappointing. Lacked the usual punch expected from a police. Its all about Asif how he potrays different shades of his character. Baburaj has played similiar roles. The second half just pushed the movie to a different direction. Climax could have been shot better. Some of the characters that appear in the tea stall dont add any further value except during the first bit. Jaffer Iduki once again proves his mettle in a short role. What an actor he is.

A decent thriller.

Film Review: Kooman (The Night Rider) Streaming on Prime Video!!

(English subtitles available)

This is a 2022 Malayalam language suspense film directed by Jethu Joseph!!

The story is about a young police officer in a small village in Kerala who suffers from a mental disorder in which he feels a compulsive urge to respond to any dare or humiliation thrown across to him and will go to any length to come up on top. In this foolhardy quest he unwittingly enlists the help of a retired thief and carries out a series of daring thefts in order to discredit his boss !!

The twist in the tale comes when a series of suicides start happening in the village and our protagonist is captured fleeing the scene of the crime !! Are these simple suicide cases or is there something else behind these occurrences! What is our hero's connection to all this ?

All I can say about this film is ' Brilliant Jeethu sir.. absolutely brilliant!! . The twists in the story have been so intricately woven that you can't just help but feel amazed at the director's ingenuity!! The plot moves from a spate of simple robberies, sometimes shown in humorous light in the first half to something totally different & sinister in the second . The investigation and the final reveal are truly mind-blowing !!

Asif Ali as police officer Giri , the protagonist has given a restrained performance. Others like Renji Panikar, Giri's empathetic ex boss and Jaffer Idukki as Giri's mentor who teaches Giri the expert art of robbing houses have both essayed their part very well !!

All in all , a very different investigative suspense thriller!! Highly recommended.. don't miss it !!

Going with 3.5/5 for this one ... Adios 🙂!!

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