STORY: The life of Jacob Varghese, who works in a financial company, changes overnight after an incident. While on the run, he’s caught by the cops and is jailed. How the shrewd youth plots a daring escape while assembling a motley crew of remand prisoners forms the plot.
REVIEW: In a lot of ways, fans of last year’s Angamaly Diairies have been waiting with bated breath for Swathantryam Ardharathriyil – with most of the cast and crew re-assembling for the jailbreak thriller. And its filmmaker Tinu Pappachan uses that element to elevate his debut film by playing to the gallery through its crafty characters, thumping music, gripping action and stylish frames.
The movie starts off by introducing the protagonist Jacob Varghese (Antony Varghese), who was a finance company manager but now is on the run with his wife Betty (Aswathy Manoharan). The two are suspects in five cases including the murder of a sub inspector. Soon, Jacob gets caught and lands in the Kottayam sub-jail. With people out to get him both inside and outside the prison, the shrewd youngster assembles a motley crew of remand prisoners as part of his jailbreak plan. How they go about their escape while also surviving the odds that keeps surmounting each day forms the plot.
Dileep Kurian’s script is hardly novel, especially in this genre. It uses the usual tropes of a shrewd leader with a purpose picking an ideal team with characters who have their own quirks but similar goals. However, the scribe keeps throwing one hurdle after another to its characters to keep the audience guessing. Tinu, who has been Lijo Jose Pellissery’s associate from City of God to Ee Ma Yau, ably uses the elements to bring out a smart thriller that keeps the audience at the edge of their seats for the entire duration. The plot though has a few loose ends that seem to be tied rather hastily and with no reasonable explanation – such as to what happens to the big danger that awaits Antony outside the prison.
It’s also a film where the technical team probably magnifies what the venture could have been – considering on paper, it’s just a realistic thriller set mostly in a sub jail. Girish Gangadharan’s slick frames and Deepak Alexander’s grunge rock background romp the proceedings. Gokul Das’ sets add to the film’s gritty theme. Some of the action scenes – the one in the initial half where some of the prisoners attempt to unsuccessfully break out during a rainy day, the one in the burrow and the denouement – are brilliantly choreographed.
In terms of acting, Antony savours the fact that it’s just his second film. He successfully keeps the plot engaging with his clever plans and the audience on tenterhooks. He’s more the dishevelled man with a plan in the movie and carries it off convincingly. He gets ample support from Vinayakan, who shines as a fellow prisoner Simon and Chemban Vinod Jose, who plays Kallan Devasiya. The seniors also add to the humour of the movie. Rajesh Sharma as the jailer and Tito Wilson as prisoner who bears a grudge for Jacob have meaty roles that they do complete justice to.
Contrary to the film’s trailer, the violence is minimum in this taut action thriller, which prides itself in using the smarts; and that’s what makes this jailbreak movie an arresting watch.
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