12th Man Movie Review: Mohanlal & Jeethu Joseph Fail To Recreate Their Drishyam Magic

12th Man Movie Review Rating:

Star Cast: Mohanlal, Unni Mukundan, Saiju Kurup, Anusree, and ensemble.

Director: Jeethu Joseph.

( Photo Credit – Poster from 12th Man )

What’s Good: the second half of the ‘thriller’ part of it all.

What’s Bad: Mohanlal trying to make sense of the half baked script he is given. Also, attention to detail is not a term the makers are aware of clearly.

Loo Break: the runtime is very long, please don’t make your body suffer.

Watch or Not?: you either have to be a Mohanlal fan or have no other option.

Language: Malayalam (with subtitles)

Available On: Disney+ Hotstar

Runtime: 163 Minutes

User Rating:

So a group of friends are prepping for the bachelor’s party of the only bachelor in the group. Fast forward to the party they play a game they shouldn’t have and things go for a toss. A friend is dead and the rest are suspects. Who killed the girl and why is an investigation that Mohanlal does without any hand gloves or safety involved.

( Photo Credit – Still from 12th Man ) 12th Man Movie Review: Script Analysis

Jeethu Joseph and Mohanlal is a pair that many worships. Together they have given two Drishyams that possibly every industry is milking. I am the one who didn’t like the second at all. And what if I tell you nor has 12th Man managed to impress me? Well, the movie that hits Hotstar today is anything but a thriller because why on Earth would someone try to be Agatha Christie with a plot that looks boring even on the paper?

So, the 12th Man is about death, the cause of which is a mystery. So it isn’t the CID kind of investigation where officers run from point to point to find the killer. It is a conversational investigation, where a surprisingly carefree and clueless police officer Mohanlal, whose name in the movie is almost inconsequential, brings everyone into a room and finds the killer.

Now the real problem in the script written by K.R. Krishna Kumar is not that it tries to be inspired by Agatha’s world, the real problem is that it gives little to no justice or homage to its inspiration. First of all shaping, a group of friends where everyone has an extramarital affair and the ones who don’t are either dead or divorced is more of a joke than a thrill. Top of that in the name of increasing complexities, when you jumble up things where the audience is not interested anymore only dilutes the purpose.

Plus, who is going to tell the art team that investigative officers and at least of the higher levels will use gloves to touch the evidence? Also, was a ‘real’ mental health board involved when writing the bipolar side of the story? If not, this might just be another film in taking the conversation and fear around mental health many steps back.

The thriller part of it ends in the second half of the second half and it is too little a return for this long investment.

12th Man Movie Review: Star Performance

Mohanlal is trying to make sense too hard. The way he enters the screen as a drunkard is the most unconvincing drunkard act in past few years. He is comical and not in a good way. In the rest of it, Mohanlal is well, Mohanlal.

Saiju Kurup gets to play a good part and he does well. Rest all pay their one-line characters as they are expected to.

( Photo Credit – Still from 12th Man ) 12th Man Movie Review: Direction, Music

Jeethu Joseph as a director is now riding on Drishyam’s Popularity so it looks like he is not trying hard because the audience will see it no matter what. There is no visible special effort in making the movie a good watch.

Music does nothing to add any effect here.

12th Man Movie Review: The Last Word

There is no hook in 12th Man to hang our hopes on. It is bland and flat without any effect. Watch it at your own risk.

12th Man Trailer

12th Man releases on 20 May, 2022.

Share with us your experience of watching 12th Man.

Trending

Rajinikanth Charges Massive Rs 150 Crores For His Next Film, Leaves Behind Akshay Kumar, Prabhas & Highest Earning Indian Male Celebrities?

Bagheera: KGF Chapter 2 Producers Kickstart Their Next Project, Prashanth Neel To Write The Script

Must Read: Kushi: Vijay Deverakonda, Samantha Tease Fans With The Title Track

Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter |

The post 12th Man Movie Review: Mohanlal & Jeethu Joseph Fail To Recreate Their Drishyam Magic appeared first on Koimoi.