BOTTOM LINE
A Headache in Kicks and Punches
RATING
1/5
PLATFORM
Sun NXT
What Is the Film About?
Rambo, a small-time, club-level kickboxer, loses his parents early in life. He takes charge of an orphanage, working hard to sustain it. Meanwhile, the influential Gautham is after the life of a girl named Malar, ready to pay a massive ransom to anyone who captures her. With growing monetary needs, Rambo seizes Malar but has a change of heart after listening to her story.
Performances
What convinced the generally dependable Arulnithi to pick up this train-wreck of a film which has nothing going for it? Rambo is an embarrassment for the actor. Tanya Ravichandran looks good, but her ‘damsel in distress’ characterisation lacks meat. The same holds true for Aysha; despite flashes of potential, the role makes no sense.
Analysis
Director Muthaiya is a well-known name in Tamil cinema, popular for films set in rural backdrops like Kutti Puli, Viruman, Komban, and Marudhu aimed for B,C centres. He keeps rehashing the same plot, relying on an old-fashioned treatment that offers a cocktail of loud action, sentiment, and romance. His first direct-to-OTT release for Sun NXT, Rambo, simply adds sport to the mix.
Starring Arulnithi, Tanya Ravichandran, and Ranjith Sajeev, Rambo is easily Muthaiya’s weakest outing to date (even by his modest standards), taking the audience for a ride. Everything in the film operates at an extreme. The hero’s a pure do-gooder who’ll go to any length to protect the orphans, while the villain is outrageously egoistic and wouldn’t hesitate to kill his kin and kith to stay on top.
The film starts with a ridiculous flashback: a crooked father of a school-going son, who comes second in class, poisons the topper to ensure his son comes first always. Another subplot introduces a child whose mother asks him to find happiness within his surroundings. No prizes for guessing which of the boys turns a baddie and the good guy in the story later.
Many years later, the action shifts to a court case, where a daughter tries to eliminate every possible piece of evidence to ensure her father is out on bail at the earliest. Everyone, from an evil businessman to a cop, to goons, and a kickboxer, is after a woman, to either kill, kidnap, or protect her. At the heart of the tale is a bitter tussle between two men while a woman fights for justice.
Rambo jumps from one episode to the next, lacking logic or context; it expects the audience to fill massive plot holes (and not in a clever, ‘intelligent film’ sort of way). How could a boxer, who barely makes enough money for himself, take responsibility for 200 children in an orphanage? What kind of father kills his son’s classmate just to motivate him to be the first in anything he takes up?
Everyone in the film is a dummy except the hero and the villain. A powerless cop needs the help of bouncers to get his work done. The villain kills for fun, eliminating anyone he chooses, simply to prove a point. The hero never loses; he beats up at least 50 people in every second sequence without a trace of sweat or injury. All it takes is one strange, hurried flashback for his ‘heart’ to melt.
Kickboxing is squeezed into the story without purpose; nothing would have changed if the protagonist and antagonist had played cricket, kabaddi, or football instead. Rambo is pointless from the word go; it never attempts to make sense of the proceedings. It runs on autopilot mode from one scene to the next, as if the editor had taken a good, solid nap.
Rambo is a jumbo-sized misadventure you wouldn’t even want your worst enemy to endure.
Performances by Others Actors
Veteran Charan Raj is wasted in a silly role of little consequence. Ranjith Sajeev has the physicality to be a good, menacing villain, though his character is a recipe for unintentional humour in Rambo. Abhirami’s special appearance adds no value to the film either. VTV Ganesh continues to annoy viewers with his double-meaning jokes with.
Music and Other Departments?
Despite Ghibran’s track record with racy background scores, the music makes no impact and in fact, highlights the emptiness in the proceedings even more. Cinematographer R D Rajasekar’s experience serves barely any purpose. The run-of-the-mill action choreography tests your patience. The product is assembled so indifferently, with a blandness, as if the team had given up on the film long ago.
Highlights?
Nothing
Drawbacks?
Everything – story, performances, execution, editing
Did I Enjoy It?
No
Will You Recommend It?
Not at all
Rambo Tamil Movie OTT Review by M9
