Thunivu in Netflix Movie Review: Ajit's star presence isn't enough currency in a script that lacks little guts and glory. Broadly speaking, this storyline ruins a bank robbery movie and attempts to overturn its protagonist's moral compass. There are smart ideas being introduced at an early stage to reinforce the idea that banks are primarily for the benefit of the people. When we first walk in, the bank sees unsuspecting customers along with normal general tellers. But the trick to this plan is to understand how it works like a seesaw, and the bank's intentions become clearer as we continue to climb the chain of command toward senior management. 

 This love for gray characters is as evident as we continue to cut people outside the bank. This works pretty well, especially when you're robbing a bank, as it allows bystanders to see human behavior. No one approaches this situation voyeuristically by deciding to pull out their phone first to get fame on social media. The media, who operate in much the same way as middle managers in banks, are a little more guilty of their involvement. They look at what will benefit them the most and what will help them move up the career ladder, and then decide to reveal some of the information they can provide to the public. Replacing top executives among these outsiders are equally corrupt and unjust top police officers and politicians.


 This is the only real aspect of Thunivu that works well, as there is little room for basic goodies. Everyone in the movie is somewhat selfish, and it's the degree of selfishness that separates the light gray from the dark gray. This makes even the Paawaarms in the movie come alive a little. In the usual Shankar film or Atlee film, a pensioner who puts their entire life savings into a bank will come across as a saint who is probably doing that for his grandchildren to go to school. But in Thunivu, even this pensioner just doesn’t want to miss out on a get-rich-quick scheme, even if it is in the form of a mutual funds plan. 

 And you really have to respect this decision because a) this is a more accurate picture of the world because everyone is a little corrupt and b) Vinoth cannot write a real, well-meaning character to save his life. To elaborate on the second point, we get a sequence that become the film’s first flashback. This is when we learn a little bit more about “Michael Jackson” (Ajith Kumar doing his thing very well) and his gang of power brokers. 

Simply put, he's the group leader he calls when he can't think of anyone else to do a certain task. This includes taking out an entire gang in Bangkok or helping plan the next heist. But outside of the songs and action sequences, we know very little about the members of this band or their interpersonal dynamics. So when these two 'close' members get attacked when they first meet, they are nothing more than clothes hangers to us. Based on this, it seemed too obvious and flat to write a revenge angle.


 The same convenience can be found in the way that Jackson and his partner Kanmani (the Manchu Warrior) are neatly tied up in a script once they enter the house. It is very important that this happens because personal tragedies are connected to the core issues the film is trying to address. However, this double coincidence is just an uninspired letter. What makes this detour even sharper is that all the meat seems to be stuffed just right in the second half.


 Here, the bank and the sector turn into a film about how to take advantage of customers by hiding the truth rather than outright lies.


 But even this point is arrived at by using a second flashback that features one of the driest bits of writing, only to explain how a bank employee must transform himself to fit into the bank’s unethical modus operandi. The overall silliness of this scene is such that it reminded me of those films in the 70s where all the villains laugh heartily after explaining their plans for world domination to each other.


 Yet what was most crushing as a fan of Vinoth’s previous movies was just how boring the fight sequences were. Barring a thrilling two-minute stretch inside the bank where the camera runs laps around Ajith and his guns, there’s almost nothing that came with an idea or an sub-story. One in particular, which tries to use flares as an element to turn a pitch dark action sequence into something colourful and inventive, gets totally lost as an idea in a poorly choreographed mess.


 This could even be said about the climatic sequences which just tries to fix the lack of ideas with a lot of money. So why have one speed boat when you can have three dozens, a handful of helicopters and a full cargo ship. With awkwardly stitched together reaction shots and noticeable CG work, it doesn’t even work as a fun over-the-top blow out.


 The only stretch that feels like the perfect mix of a clever idea fitting into the mould of a Shankar film is when the sarcasm of the protagonist is used to teach some real lessons to the top management using the same techniques banks use against us. What makes up the rest of the movie is large chunks of air written around Ajith’s star charisma alone. 

At least that's not what you'd expect from a director like Vinot, who can deliver solid commercials and great before-and-after fight scenes. With very little of both, Thunivu isn't really the movie you're hoping for.