Suggested Topics :
'Max' Movie Review: Herculean Kichcha Sudeep Barely Salvages A One-Note Actioner
Debutant director Vijay Karthikeyaa's film is undone by a self-defeating brand of violence, despite an intriguing setup and an adequately emotional core
Director: Vijay Karthikeyaa
Writer: Vijay Karthikeyaa
Cast: Kichcha Sudeep, Varalakshmi Sarathkumar, Sunil, Vamsi Krishna, Ilavarasu, Samyukta Hornad, Ugramm Manju
Language: Kannada
In Vijay Karthikeyaa’s Max, caution is thrown to the winds so high that the film’s protagonist appears to exist in a universe uniquely his own. Kichcha Sudeep plays the daring cop Arjun Mahakshay, aka Max, who boldly takes on hundreds of men at once on countless occasions, and emerges nearly scar-free almost every single time. In sheer contrast, the world around him trembles in fear and helplessness, and relies solely on him to handle a huge crisis.
While Max’s Herculean act saves the day and makes for some play-to-the-gallery entertainment, the overall film feels completely rid of the usual challenges that a protagonist is meant to overcome, leaving behind a blaring one-toned cop action saga.
The story is stuffed with evildoers who wield absolute power and control over a major city (modelled on Bengaluru or Chennai) with their run-of-the-mill positions. Two ministers aim to overthrow the presiding chief minister by luring stubborn MLAs, and tasked with this job are two gangsters: Gani (Sunil), who loves loud celebrations, and Narasimha (Vamsi Krishna), a trigger-happy guy who beats everyone to a pulp.
Cops are as weak as ordinary citizens in this world, where sexual crimes and kidnappings of underage girls are on the rise, but no one bats an eye. In the midst of all this, the sons of the two ministers nearly run over a bunch of patrolling police officers, and later, violate a female constable.
Also Read | ‘Baby John’ Movie Review: A weapon of mass-movie destruction
Enter Max. In the face of anarchy, his reputation as a righteous hell-raiser precedes him.
Max stands as tall as the gatekeeper of justice, and Vijay Karthikeyaa intentionally creates a feeble and fragile enough world for him. When the man arrives in town to report to duty at the Sururban police station, he immediately gets to dealing with the two unruly gangsters. Since none of his colleagues bear the guile or courage to even file an FIR, everything falls upon Max, whose ungodly strength is the likely answer to all troubles. But when one simple mishap on the cops’ part suddenly puts the situation out of control, even retaliatory violence doesn’t seem to be the solution. It is here that the film comes into its own—promising a delicious blend of brains meeting brawn: except that the promise is so fleeting that it doesn’t manage to create the intended impact.
But as long as it does last, Max, the film, shows inventiveness in that it pits a handful of police officers against hordes and hordes of thugs and the powerful men leading them. In the same vein, it introduces us to crime inspector Roopa (Varalakshmi Sarathkumar) who enters the fray as a fitting nemesis to Max and momentarily raises the stakes. Roopa can match Max’s wit, and it helps that as someone working for the bad guys, she has all the muscle and immorality to offer a no-holds-barred challenge.
Vijay Karthikeyaa, the debutant, relishes in this interesting dynamic for a while, and is steadfast in not including unnecessary frills (barring an item number) in the narrative. But as soon as he feels compelled to make the film entirely about his leading man, the opportunity for a solid masala film goes begging.
Also Read | 'UI' Movie Review: Upendra's Head-Scratcher Misses Way More Than It Hits
The major concern arises in the form of violence being an utterly easy escape to the central conflict of the film. Although Max’s ability to take on any disproportionate physical challenge seems like a requirement in a big-ticket film such as this, the decision to not contain those powers at any point becomes a burden quite early in the proceedings.
The violence in Max is almost self-defeating, considering that all the guile and the cheekiness injected into the plot is of little value when one knows that whatever kind of trouble comes his way, the hero will land enough punches to solve the problem. While Chethan D’souza’s action choreography is impressive in its own right, and cinematographer Shekar Chandru does a fine job in deftly capturing it, the technical expertise doesn’t salvage the underwhelming writing.
Also Read | Kannada Cinema In 2024: How Debutant Directors Inspired Confidence In Promoting Home-Grown Talent
Consequently, we see that the antagonism in Max steadily grows weaker and become redundant. The film relies heavily on Sudeep’s solid screen presence and charisma (underlined further by Ajaneesh Loknath’s heavy techno score) but it is the characters played by talented actors like Varalakshmi Sarathkumar and Sunil who bear the ultimate brunt of the unfocused approach.
Other cast members, including Tamil actor/cinematographer Ilavarasu, Samyukta Hornad and Ugramm Manju, try their best to shine in the flimsy parts offered to them. But the spotlight remains on Sudeep all along—who fires from all cylinders and even manages to be at his charming best with the limited chances.
All in all, Max treads briskly and assuredly at a 132-minute runtime and dispenses some fun and thrills along the way. But it required a lot more agency in terms of writing to deliver a film worthy of the setup and lead actor’s screen allure.