Kooman

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!

I recently watched Kooman on Amazon Prime, and I have to say, it's definitely one of the better thrillers I've seen in a while. The storyline was gripping and had just the right amount of suspense to keep me interested till the end. The twists were well-placed, and the overall mood of the film was enhanced by the excellent background score and music.

What I really appreciated was how the movie didn't try too hard it just let the story unfold naturally. Asif Ali fitted into the character and nailed with his casual performance. That being said, there were a few scenes that felt unnecessary, almost like they were added just to increase the runtime. They didn't really add much to the story and could've easily been edited out.

Also, a few characters felt incomplete or forgotten. Some were introduced with a bit of buildup but were just left hanging without a proper conclusion. It left me wondering what happened to them or why they were there in the first place.

Also, a few characters felt incomplete or forgotten. Some were introduced with a bit of buildup but were just left hanging without a proper conclusion. It left me wondering what happened to them or why they were there in the first place.

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.

Movie starts off well with excellent acting by Asif and others.. however, the second half of the movie is a bit of a let down and feels rushed and written quite poorly.

The background score and cinematography is top notch as usual for Malyalam movies. It captures the mood quite well, something similar to Drishyam. I love how they captured the small town Kerala feel.

The first half of the movie is really quite well made, but the second half it felt like the writer was just trying to finish the script. I would've gone for a higher rating of they had just stuck to the story of the first half instead of making it a mystery thriller.

I would argue Kooman and Memories are the best-directed works by Jeethu Joseph regardless of what someone's personal opinion is about his best film. The protagonist is almost an anti-hero, a regular police constable with a criminal mind. But at the same time, that greyness of the character is treated almost like how Krishna's despicable acts are glossed over as his naughtiness in retellings of Hindu mythology so that even though it's shown like that, there's still space for the audience to perceive the truth of it. Asif Ali fits into this role perfectly and this finally looks like the film that will be successful at the box office which he's in desperate need of right now.

The release of this movie is timed perfectly. The audience can easily relate to the twists in the second half because of recent news and the impact of it, that otherwise would have been considered a little bit far-fetched.