GOAT or Greatest Of All Time, is Tamil cinema's partial attempt at portraying a Desi Ethan Hunt, the iconic Tom Cruise character from the Mission Impossible franchise. Before we get carried away with the glamorous Ethan Hunt comparison, let's remember that this 'Gandhi', the Desi special agent played by Vijay,&nbsp;has a wife and two kids, and the usual pressures of a family man. This includes the pick-up and drop-off of children at school, jotting down grocery purchase lists, getting sloshed at office parties, and cooking up creative reasons to escape the wrath of the wife.

From the word go, director Venkat Prabhu ensures that there are multiple agents on this violent Gandhi team. Like Ethan Hunt's team, they are with Gandhi, through thick and thin, throughout the plot. These supporting characters are well executed by Jayaram, Prashant, Prabhu Deva, and Ajmal. Most of these supporting characters are granted their individual space and importance in the plot and are not in blink-and-miss roles.&nbsp;

On the action front, there's everything from train chase sequences in an African desert, car chases in Thailand, bike chases in Moscow, and hand-to-hand combat scenes in the familiar coaches of the Chennai metro. In typical Tom Cruise style, Vijay is seen rappelling down a skyscraper, when the need arises, he even jumps off the skyscraper using a parachute, while humming the all-familiar Mission Impossible theme.

As for references to other films, there's plenty. These throwbacks are in the form of dialogues or background songs from yesteryear Vijay films, and other Tamil language films.&nbsp;

On the family front, Sneha plays the lead lady's role. As agent Gandhi's wife, Sneha shares several moments with Vijay throughout the film. They range from playful and joyful to emotional. Notable among them is their supposed 'Honeymoon' in Thailand, where Gandhi takes his family along while he's on a mission. The way events unfold in Thailand sets the tone for the film.&nbsp;

For those who aren't mindful that GOAT is said to be Vijay's penultimate film before his foray into Tamil Nadu politics, there are enough instances of subtle and overt hints at Vijay's next move. Set in a bar, the first song employs wordplay of "Champagne and campaign", of people not leaving the party etc. Later in the film too, amid comedy sequences, Premgi Amaren refers to Vijay's impending political foray and the secrecy around the same.

There's also an AI resurrection of the Late Captain Vijayakanth, the Tamil hero who earned himself a name for portraying the roles of special agents and soldiers. This is perhaps&nbsp;Vijay's way of offering his tribute to the veteran actor with whom Vijay worked in his nascent days.&nbsp;

Ironically, as the plot progresses, it is the much-trolled, de-aged Vijay who takes the lead (the de-aged teen, youth character played by the 50-year-old Vijay was trolled badly following the trailer release). However, the latter half of the film is all about the interplay of Thalapathy (Commander—as Vijay is known among his fans) and Ilaya Thalapathy (Junior Commander). Vijay does a splendid job in playing both of these roles.&nbsp;

At three hours, the film is considerably long amid contemporary standards but doesn't feel cumbersome. Though the plot twists and turns are highly predictable, Director Venkat Prabhu ensures that it is both engaging and entertaining.

In the bygone decade or so, Vijay has played a special agent in three films including GOAT. While the other films (Thuppakki, Beast) were all about Vijay's superstar image, and action sequences, and did not have any memorable side characters, GOAT does better with a good number of characters to carry the film through its three-hour runtime and make it worth a one-time watch.

GOAT has the action and stunt sequences, and mass scenes to placate the core Vijay fans, as well as some emotional plot twists, dance numbers, the odd and unnecessary 'item song' featuring Trisha. Yuvan Shankar Raja's music elevates the scenes at the right moments, there's nothing worthwhile or memorable as far as the songs go. Typically, a Vijay film grants you at least one track that you would hum on your drive back home, but there was nothing remarkable about GOAT's&nbsp;songs, it was as dull as a bleating goat.&nbsp;

PS:&nbsp;The one thing that remains unconvincing in GOAT is the nomenclature of the lead character. Why would anyone name a gun-toting special agent as Gandhi? This Gandhi also gets sloshed at office parties. There were times when Vijay mouthed a supposedly mass dialogue about being "Gandhi- The Father of the Nation", but that only felt drab and cringe. This is the second notable instance where a lead character plays a character named Gandhi while doing all things that one doesn't associate with the Mohandas Karamchand 'Mahatma' Gandhi (In the Vikram-starrer Mahaan, the lead character is a liquor baron named Gandhi).&nbsp;

GOAT or Greatest Of All Time, is Tamil cinema's partial attempt at portraying a Desi Ethan Hunt, the iconic Tom Cruise character from the Mission Impossible franchise.

GOAT or Greatest Of All Time, is Tamil cinema's partial attempt at portraying a Desi Ethan Hunt, the iconic Tom Cruise character from the Mission Impossible franchise. Before we get carried away with the glamorous Ethan Hunt comparison, let's remember that this 'Gandhi', the Desi special agent played by Vijay, has a wife and two kids, and the usual pressures of a family man. This includes the pick-up and drop-off of children at school, jotting down grocery purchase lists, getting sloshed at office parties, and cooking up creative reasons to escape the wrath of the wife. From the word go, director Venkat Prabhu ensures that there are multiple agents on this violent Gandhi team. Like Ethan Hunt's team, they are with Gandhi, through thick and thin, throughout the plot. These supporting characters are well executed by Jayaram, Prashant, Prabhu Deva, and Ajmal. Most of these supporting characters are granted their individual space and importance in the plot and are not in blink-and-miss roles. On the action front, there's everything from train chase sequences in an African desert, car chases in Thailand, bike chases in Moscow, and hand-to-hand combat scenes in the familiar coaches of the Chennai metro. In typical Tom Cruise style, Vijay is seen rappelling down a skyscraper, when the need arises, he even jumps off the skyscraper using a parachute, while humming the all-familiar Mission Impossible theme. As for references to other films, there's plenty. These throwbacks are in the form of dialogues or background songs from yesteryear Vijay films, and other Tamil language films. On the family front, Sneha plays the lead lady's role. As agent Gandhi's wife, Sneha shares several moments with Vijay throughout the film. They range from playful and joyful to emotional. Notable among them is their supposed 'Honeymoon' in Thailand, where Gandhi takes his family along while he's on a mission. The way events unfold in Thailand sets the tone for the film. For those who aren't mindful that GOAT is said to be Vijay's penultimate film before his foray into Tamil Nadu politics, there are enough instances of subtle and overt hints at Vijay's next move. Set in a bar, the first song employs wordplay of "Champagne and campaign", of people not leaving the party etc. Later in the film too, amid comedy sequences, Premgi Amaren refers to Vijay's impending political foray and the secrecy around the same. There's also an AI resurrection of the Late Captain Vijayakanth, the Tamil hero who earned himself a name for portraying the roles of special agents and soldiers. This is perhaps Vijay's way of offering his tribute to the veteran actor with whom Vijay worked in his nascent days. Ironically, as the plot progresses, it is the much-trolled, de-aged Vijay who takes the lead (the de-aged teen, youth character played by the 50-year-old Vijay was trolled badly following the trailer release). However, the latter half of the film is all about the interplay of Thalapathy (Commander—as Vijay is known among his fans) and Ilaya Thalapathy (Junior Commander). Vijay does a splendid job in playing both of these roles. At three hours, the film is considerably long amid contemporary standards but doesn't feel cumbersome. Though the plot twists and turns are highly predictable, Director Venkat Prabhu ensures that it is both engaging and entertaining. In the bygone decade or so, Vijay has played a special agent in three films including GOAT. While the other films (Thuppakki, Beast) were all about Vijay's superstar image, and action sequences, and did not have any memorable side characters, GOAT does better with a good number of characters to carry the film through its three-hour runtime and make it worth a one-time watch. GOAT has the action and stunt sequences, and mass scenes to placate the core Vijay fans, as well as some emotional plot twists, dance numbers, the odd and unnecessary 'item song' featuring Trisha. Yuvan Shankar Raja's music elevates the scenes at the right moments, there's nothing worthwhile or memorable as far as the songs go. Typically, a Vijay film grants you at least one track that you would hum on your drive back home, but there was nothing remarkable about GOAT's songs, it was as dull as a bleating goat. PS: The one thing that remains unconvincing in GOAT is the nomenclature of the lead character. Why would anyone name a gun-toting special agent as Gandhi? This Gandhi also gets sloshed at office parties. There were times when Vijay mouthed a supposedly mass dialogue about being "Gandhi- The Father of the Nation", but that only felt drab and cringe. This is the second notable instance where a lead character plays a character named Gandhi while doing all things that one doesn't associate with the Mohandas Karamchand 'Mahatma' Gandhi (In the Vikram-starrer Mahaan, the lead character is a liquor baron named Gandhi).

GOAT review: Vijay plays a Desi Ethan Hunt in a predictable entertainer 

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GOAT review: Vijay plays a Desi Ethan Hunt in a predictable entertainer