Coolie movie review: Rajinikanth and Lokesh combo is a mid rehash of Vikram
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Coolie Photograph: (X)
Coolie marks the first collaboration between Rajinikanth and director Lokesh Kanagaraj. The movie boasts of an immense star cast that includes Nagarjuna, Aamir Khan and Upendra. So does the movie live up to the hype?
Coolie has finally hit the big screen. To say the hype surrounding the Rajinikanth starrer is huge would be an understatement. The movie has already set records in pre-release ticket sales, but unfortunately, Coolie ends up being an average entertainer that rehashes plot points from previous films by director Lokesh Kanagaraj, especially Vikram.
What is Coolie about?
The movie follows Deva (Rajinikanth), a retired union leader and coolie who wants to uncover the truth behind the sudden death of his old friend Rajasekar (Sathyaraj). Deva quickly uncovers that his friend had been forced to work for the crime boss Simon (Nagarjuna) and his smuggling cartel.
Coolie’s storyline feels too familiar
The plot of Coolie mostly feels like a rehash of Vikram, where a veteran is forced out of retirement to avenge a murder and, in the process, uncovers a large criminal conspiracy. It also turns out that the veteran has a past where he was a super-cool agent/gangster. Why Lokesh chose to rehash the story for a third time when his last film, Leo, did the same and ended up being a letdown, remains unclear.
However, where Leo was let down by an undercooked second half, what holds Coolie back is a screenplay that, while on the surface it looks like they tried to change up the formula, just ended up abandoning its most interesting plot points and decided to settle. The entire movie comes off like the team had a “well, that's good enough” attitude.
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Rajinikanth shines, but Nagarjuna is wasted
As far as performances are concerned, Rajinikanth does his best to carry the movie, and his usual charm and charisma shine through in parts. The standout, however, is Nagarjuna as Simon. He really seems to be having fun with the role, and despite having the most potential, his character is underutilised and ends up being a side character rather than the main villain.
The movie, for some reason, decided to focus on his right-hand man, Dayal (Soubin Shahir). While the actor does give a solid performance, his character is given a story arc in the second half of the movie that overstays its welcome. It would have made more sense and made the movie far more engaging if they had followed the same arc and focused on Simon instead.
Shruti Haasan in the movie is also wasted; her character arc never takes off, and she ends up being nothing more than a damsel in distress. It would be a fun drinking game at parties if everyone took a shot whenever someone drags her off against her will, as it happens a lot, so much so that it seems like an unintentional joke.
The movie Coolie's action and music fail to impress
The fight scenes also feel mid except for Upendra's cameo, where we start seeing some potential, but it quickly dies out. The music by Anirudh sounds like it is the same as his last few albums. There is an interesting flashback sequence near the climax of the movie that feels like a consolation prize for fans who had high hopes for the film. Finally, Aamir Khan's cameo and character are just a poor Breaking Bad rip-off.
The movie has more than a few references to Breaking Bad and The Dark Knight, which has been a growing trend among Indian filmmakers, especially when it comes to the mass action entertainer genre. While initially, this felt like a nice homage, now it has gotten to the point of being annoying, and it is sad that these filmmakers, who claim to be fans of those stories, do nothing but use them as a cheap reference instead of exploring any of their deeper themes.
Coolie movie final verdict
So, in conclusion, Coolie does not live up to the hype, nor does it deliver on any of its promises, and ends up being a one-time watch at best and completely forgettable at its worst.
