Turbo Review - Just a Mid Masala Flick!

Ashwin Ram

Turbo is an action thriller starring Mammootty in the lead role. The film is directed by Vysakh of Pulimurugan fame.

Premise:

Mammootty’s friend is murdered by Chennai mafia kingpin Raj B Shetty, for trying to expose his criminal activities. How Mammootty gets involved in the game and how he wins is the remaining story.

Writing/ Direction:

The crime shown is solid, it is peculiar, scary and well-researched, the execution of this particular part is shown in a detailed manner. Wish there was more stuff to showcase how innocent people are affected which would make it more believable. The film wastes so much time on staging that is barely engaging, as the first half for the most part, has absolutely no focus on the core story. There is drama in the form of love and friendship, but doesn’t work out as they are aligned in a neat scene order for the viewer to connect. The final forty minutes is gripping, the purpose for the action is set and the last act is executed in an enjoyable manner. The mass scenes at first are so random, Mammootty’s intro is grounded but soon after he gets a relentless and a loud action stretch with no reasoning. Mammootty could have entered the story world in a more fluent manner which could have made up for many issues. The cat and mouse game with the villain is never smart, so clichéd and the villain doesn’t show-off any form of terror rather than killing people. Many conveniently written crucial moments that drain out the dramatic essence. Political angle is so forcefully incorporated to the subject. Vijay Sethupathi’s voice-over at the end as a lead to the second part, offers nothing more and nothing less, as it only managed to give an empty feel.

Performances:

Mammootty quite effortlessly pulls off the mass avatar by maintaining a stone-face throughout, his hairdo could have been a bit better. Raj B Shetty could not showcase his dynamism as his character was single-dimensional, yet he strikes a crazy attitude to get his terrifying presence right. Anjana Jayaprakash gets a meaty role with enough screen space which she has utilized well alongside Mamukka. Pushpa fame Sunil, Vedalam fame Kabir Singh, and many other artists have played tiny roles, but no one excels beyond a limit as their characters were written weakly.

Technicalities:

No songs of any form to act as a deviation to the flow. Energetic background score that supports the action sequences well along with a no brainer yet enjoyable stunt choreography. Stylish camera work that hides the faults of the direction department, fight sequences have been captured with care in a fast-paced manner. Very straightforward edit pattern that doesn’t trick the narrative at any area which majorly results in a flat flow.

Bottomline

An interesting crime topic is taken with utmost research, but the film misses out to engage enough except for the last hour. Had the potential but it is mostly flat due to weak staging and a blunt villain.

Rating - 2.5/ 5