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Pani (2024) aka The Job "A Truly Stunning Thriller"

Pani is the directorial debut of Malayalam Actor Joju George, who had started his career as a struggling junior artist. The journey from his early struggling days, from a Junior Actor to becoming a leading Hero, later to a Producer, Writer and finally to a Director, is a testament to the growth of a passionate artist, as showcased in Pani.

Watched the Telugu dubbed Version. Pani tells the unsettling story of a Big shot whose life went upside down when he accidentally crosses path with two low life youngsters, who turn out to be brutal criminals.

With great cast and great technical team, director Joju has crafted a gripping thriller. For an actor making his first directorial debut, it would have been safer to choose a Hit Remake film, much like Kamal Hassan did with his directorial debut Chachi 420, remake of Mrs Doubtfire, or simply he could have opted to build a film around the stardom of a superstar, as Prithviraj did with his debut Lucifer. But Joju simply went for a risky character driven thriller uniquely written for Antagonists.

This is one of those rare movies where the Villains were written so brilliantly that such roles turns out to be pure gold for any aspiring actors. And the newcomers in the movie portrayed these roles exceptionally well. The phrase 'A movie is only as good as its villain' truly holds true in the case of Pani.

As a director, Joju had the freedom to boost his Hero image incorporating with unlimited hero-centric, Hero elevation scenes, slow motion Hero shots, Mass dialogues, dance and songs. But he chose to shy away from such gimmicks, focusing on the character driven story arc. It's a remarkable directorial achievement for an Artist like Joju to make such bold creative decisions, avoiding the commercialization of a revenge storyline.

Don't know why some people bitiching about the violence in this movie. I found it to be very low and soft on violence even for a U/A rating. The version I saw didn't have any sort of mature scenes, nudity, or any graphical frightening shots.

A hard rating "A certificate" is more suitable for Tamil movies like Maharaja, which deal with high octane violence and intense subjects like rape. It's high time the SIMP GENERATION people should really stop bitiching about hard hitting movies, and really appreciate the effort taken by the makers to pitch such strong subjects.

Positives - The Story, The Tone, The writing, The Treatment. Also the night Photography, this is one of the rare films that captures the charm of thrilling Night shots so effectively. The way it was lit, especially in a thriller, those vehicle shots, rigging for vehicles is another art, shout out to the cinematography team, hands down one of the best experience. And above all, the direction, I don't know whether it was Joju George or his associate teams - the true Author of this film, who ever pulled this off, deserves an award.

Negatives - The third act feels a little lame, could have ended on a stronger note, also the makeup for one of the villain on second half, that fake moustache feels out of place.

I give this movie a deserving 8/10. Waiting to watch the original Malayalam version in OTT just to cross check if any violent scenes were edited out in the Telugu version.

Juror #2 (2024)

Clint Eastwood's final directorial, an honest depiction of 12 Angry Men, explores the flaws in the justice system.

Solid drama that delves into the guilt of an ordinary man who was serving on the jury duty, finally realizes that he may be responsible for the victim's death.

Produced and Directed by legendary Clint Eastwood at the remarkable age of 94, this may very well be his final cinematic outing before retirement. Originally planned for an OTT release, the studio opted for a theatrical release after seeing the final cut.

X-men Beast - Nicholas Hoult showcases the dilemma of a helpless family man who wages an internal war against himself and the system. With a stellar cast of A-list actors and strong performance, Juror #2 is a slow burn deeply unsettling movie. Perhaps, it stands as a statement from the aged director himself on the effectiveness of the legal system.

Positives: Slow Burn story, cast, pacing, the open ended ending.

Negatives: The crucial night shots looked very amateurish-poorly shot, badly lit, and seemingly fixed in post-production. The score also felt shallow.

I give this movie 7 out of 10. Must watch for Director Eastwood fans, waiting for it's Blu-ray release, and though Clint Eastwood rarely does commentaries, here's hoping he makes an exception for this one.

Horrible, WORST MOVIE OF 2024, yes, even more pathetic than Indian 2 and Goat.

This is what happened when you try to make PAN INDIAN movies based solely on Tamil audience's aesthetics.

Everyone associated with this movie did their job just to receive their money-no ownership, no pride, just for the paycheck. Pathetic. The director - sound designer - editor should all be jailed.

Too bad to see Disha Patani reduced once again to an extended cameo role in Pan Indian Films. Horrible BGM. Worst cinema at the peak level. Kanguva makes Indian2 and Goat look like Oscar-winning masterpieces.

Pan-Indian movies are not for the Tamil industry; Kanguva is the perfect example. They can't think beyond Tamil sensibilities. Instead, they should focus on making pathbreaking films like Maharaja and Raatchasan, and leave the Pan-Indian market to other industries.

I gave this movie 1 out of 10. Tamil cinema at its worst.