Spy thriller films have become the favorite genre of Indian cinema these days. While Bollywood is ruling the box office with its ‘Spy Universe’, Tamil director Manu Anand has tried to directly challenge Hollywood (James Bond and Mission: Impossible) with his film ‘Mr X’. But in trying to fly high, the film seems to fall to the ground.
What is the story?
The story of the film is like a typical international spy drama. Gautam (Arya) is a RAW agent who is on a secret mission in Chennai. Matters turn serious when the ‘villain’ Rana gets hold of a nuclear device, with which he plans to blow up Chennai during the G-20 summit.
The responsibility to stop this disaster lies on the shoulders of Raw Chief Indira Verma (Manju Warrier) and seasoned agent Mr. X (Sarthkumar). While Amaran (Gautham Karthik) is the mastermind of this game who is helping Rana internally. The 2 hour 33 minute film shows the journey from Pakistan to Russia and many twists and turns.
The ‘line’ of logic is broken
The biggest weakness of the film is its script and logic. The director wants the audience to leave their minds at home. The film has so many sub-plots (war with Pakistan, nuclear capsule, betrayal of loved ones) that the film collapses under its own weight. In one scene, when the prime minister asks about the threat of a nuclear attack, instead of frightening statistics, he gets a one-word answer – “fatal.” The film has a similar effect—big setup but no concrete outcome.
Mr. However, the real twist is that you find out who is switching sides hours before the scene. Take Chennai’s group of RAW agents, whose plans are repeatedly attacked. You know someone on the team is leaking information. You’ll just have to wait for the manufacturers to explain why this is happening – and when they do, their reasons don’t make sense.
This is the biggest problem of this movie. A great spy thriller should have twists and turns that you can actually believe. Manu Anand takes the right turns on paper, but none of them seem believable. And when the reason itself is shallow, the twist has no meaning.
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The most important moment of the film comes when the Prime Minister asks about the damage caused by the nuclear attack. This is a scene that should have been very frightening and should have shown in detail how great the threat of this attack is. Instead, the answer is just one word: “destructive.” In short, that’s what Mr. X is – big setup, but no results.
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Estimated turn
Many twists have been added in the film to maintain the suspense but the problem is that half an hour before the twist comes the audience knows who the next traitor is going to be. The reasons given by the makers for changing sides of the characters seem very shallow and unbelievable.
Acting and technical aspects
Arya: He is seen with the same sad expression throughout the film. His character didn’t show the depth that a top agent should have.
Gautham Karthik: He has a never-ending smile on his face, which looks awkward in many serious scenes.
Manju Warrior: He has done justice to his role as Raw Chief. She looks the strongest in the entire cast.
Cinematography: Arul Vincent’s work is commendable. The way he has captured scenes from Russia and India gives the film an ‘international look’.
Music: The background score by Dhibu Ninan Thomas is sharp, but at times feels like it’s trying to mask the script’s shortcomings with noise.
‘Sir if you only like good sights and gunfights, watch this. But if you are looking for an intelligent and suspenseful thriller, ‘Mr X’ will disappoint you.
Movie: Mr
Director: Manu Anand
Cast: Arya, Gautham Karthik, Manju Warrier, Sarathkumar
Rating: 2/5