Maybe this is the first Malayalam film with heavy CGI and special effects that has the power to numb its viewers. It even samples animation at the start and end of the film, probably inspired by Tarantino's Kill Bill & Grand Theft Auto styling. For these, I give it 3/10. For the story, well, it sucks.
It is basically a revenge story set in the gangster world. While the over-styled characters move around in their palaces in slow-motion and trance background music, the writers fail to realize that the slow- motion scenes are playing against the film and in fact, dulling the whole premise. Had the plot been fast-forwarded to 2x, the film might have been better. The story is about some guy for whom I have no sympathy because he kills for a living. When another guy who snorts coke and bangs chicks in BDSM style for pleasure, introducing himself as a masochistic vagrant, comes to power through his godfather, he fights for prominence with our title character and all hell breaks loose.
The women in here are either sex dolls, pimps or soon-to-die wives. Mammootty is average although his English skills need to be tested. In fact, all the English dialog in the film seemed like they were being spoken by Desi amateurs. Sekhar Menon is fine but he was not vindictive enough; having a fat bod and bald mane doesn't count. Supporting cast is fine. While the direction is good, the screenplay is to be blamed. I don't know how I sat through the 2 hours of unenthuastic slowness; maybe it was the use of style and glamor, although I hate to admit that. Frankly, Gangster is high on elegance and null on intelligence/logic.
But, still I cannot tag it as a bad film because I got to appreciate the art department, the western vibes that are clear in every single frame of this new-gen flick that depends on an old formula. It is not appealing as a narrative, but for the sake of art, I give it a nod.
BOTTOM LINE: Screenplay, cinematography and editing are the culprits of this chic flick that unfortunately considers glitter as a celluloid factor and solely depends on it, resulting in a tasteless recipe. If you get hold of a DVD, seek through the plot-line.
Can be watched with a typical Indian family? NO
Profanity/Vulgarity: Mediocre | Drugs/Alcohol/Smoking: Strong
