The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Tame climax mars thriller

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Saturday, Aug 16, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Tame climax mars thriller

Film: Cell

Cast: Sameer, Prabhakar

Director: Venkat Narayana

‘Cell’, which is supposed to be a crime thriller, groans with blood and dismemberment right from the very beginning, but doesn’t scare or thrill you. The content is all dark.

Initially the movie is interesting, intelligent and engaging but one’s interest wanes subsequently.

Four friends who have shared hard moments in life rob a bank.

On the way back, the police trails them and in the process one is rendered incapacitated and lands up in hospital after suffering multiple fractures. The other is kidnapped with his wife and son, the third is forced to chop his own leg and the fourth is hanged.

What one sees in this film is only crime but not retribution. The film shows the dark side of human nature right from the word go, depicting how the lure of lucre becomes the cause of one’s downfall. So one hardly empathises with the characters but instead is made to feel repulsive.

The director keeps the curiosity alive and brings in an element of suspense as to why the four friends are made to go through torture but falters on a tame climax.

Most of the film takes place in a dilapidated shed and the conversations are mainly over phone. After two characters are done to death, the focus is on Abhiram (Sameer) who has to save his family before the clock strikes 12. The scenes are disquieting, men in chains trying to wrangle out, the tip-tap of the oozing blood that is more like a leaking tap, but the script doesn’t push you to the edge of the seats when the clock keeps ticking fast.

Effective presentation

One commendable aspect of the film is that the angst, helplessness, frustration, selfishness and impulsive behaviour of the four characters is brought out effectively. Music is apt, editing could have been sharp and the cinematography is made to suit the mood of the film.

Y. SUNITA CHOWDHARY

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