Review: Thug Life - Dull and Mindless

 

 

Movie: Thug Life
Rating: 1.5/5

Cast: Kamal Haasan, Simbu, Trisha, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Ashok Selvan, Abhirami, Joju George, Nasser, Mahesh Manjrekar, and others

Director: Maniratnam

Produced By: Raaj Kamal Films International, Madras Talkies, Red Giant Movies

Release Date: 05-06-2025

Story:

The movie's story centers on a brave, admired, and seemingly immortal gangster named Rangaraya Sakthivel (Kamal Haasan) and his bond with Amar, a boy whose life he and his gang unintentionally disrupt and decide to take in as family. The remainder of the tale explores the various conflicts and threats that Sakthivel encounters in his life.


Performances:

Kamal Haasan and Simbu (Silambarasan TR) play two major roles in the movie, and they make some scenes nice with their screen presence and performance. However, apart from that, they are ineffective for most of the film because their characters do not register properly. Trisha, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Ashok Selvan, Abhirami, Joju George, Nasser, Mahesh Manjrekar, and others are just present and add little effect to the film, as their characters also lack any value.

What worked for the film:

The initial sequence of the film, which introduces the main characters, is good. It raises the required anticipation for the rest of the movie. The pre-interval scenes where Amar takes a big decision in his life offer some intrigue, and the subsequent interval scene is also good, though not great. The buildup to the crucial twist at the pre-climax is good. The visuals are superb.

What did not work for the film:

The second half becomes chaotic and incoherent as many subplots from the beginning are either weakened or pushed aside for a long period. Amar, the most important character for the film after Sakthivel, also disappears for a significant time in this segment. Sakthivel's revenge lacks emotion, as the backdrop of the mafia/gangster group is completely sidelined in the latter half. The villain character comes off as a feeble antagonist whose actions are easy to foresee. The police character, played by Ashok Selvan, is also presented very poorly, as one cannot understand what he is trying to do. The pre-climax gives some hope with a crucial twist, but even the following scenes do not continue the effect, and the movie ends with a poor climax.

Thug Life Review and Verdict:

Mani Ratnam's Thug Life has a promising start but ends up as a boring saga. While the first half works fine, the second half drags on without purpose, despite a talented cast and solid technical aspects.