BOTTOM LINE
Disaster Ride
OUR RATING
1.75/5
CENSOR
U/A, 2h 36m
What Is the Film About?
Japan (Karthi) is a notorious thief known for stealing jewelry all over the country. One such robbery brings him into conflict with the government as the property belongs to the Home Minister.
Different units of the police are after Japan to catch him as soon as possible. The movie’s basic plot is did he got caught or if there is a twist in the tale.
Performances
Karthi plays a lovable thief to perfection. He is the only reason one sits through the movie. The dialogue delivery is different and it works out well for the character.
Karthi’s styling is also uniquely done, and this combined with his accent adds appeal to his personality. Few punches also work on the same grounds. The intermittent action and emotional scenes are also good making the character and act likable instantly.
Anu Emannuel is wasted. She is only present in the first half and that too towards the interval. Even here there is nothing much to do for her. If one sees her as one mere piece in the overall setup it’s alright, but if seen as a heroine it’s very disappointing.
Analysis
Raju Murugan of National Award winning Joker fame directs Japan. It is a coming-of-age film disguised as a crime drama with the central protagonist named Japan.
The opening few minutes of the movie make one intrigued. It raises curiosity about what lies ahead and promises an exciting journey ahead.
However, the hopes are dashed immediately, when the narrative suddenly moves to something else. It gets back to the main plot interestingly, but the initial momentum is killed instantly. And this is the problem with Japan on the whole.
An interesting executed block is cut to a poor, boring, and dragging scene or song. The unevenness in tone can’t be more jarring. A funny scene is followed by action, and it’s cut to serious drama and the pattern continues. A few of them work, but overall the inconsistency is too much to hold attention.
The interval bang offers a twist, but most already lost interest by that time. One only looks forward to seeing where it’s all headed.
The second half comparatively is better in that there is a little bit more cohesiveness in proceedings. However, when things are palpable, it makes the narrative predictable.
Again a couple of ideas work out well, but the length turns out an issue. Some of the illogical aspects also make things less exciting.
After all, that’s happened, the ending is a slight relief with the neatly wrapped-up emotion. But, it feels too late in the day to have any positive impact.
Overall, Japan has an interesting premise, but a messy narrative and forced emotions with a clumsy screenplay plays spoilsport.
Performances by Others Actors
Japan relies more on the supporting characters as one would expect. Naturally, a lot of actors get decent parts. Sunil is an instantly recognizable face for the Telugu audience. He gets another decent role in Japan. The actor is definitely getting used better in Tamil cinema. He plays a cop reminding Colur Photo.
Apart from Sunil, Jithan Ramesh, Vijay Melton, Vagai Chandrasekhar, etc. get vital roles. They all do well in the given scope. Chandrasekhar gets the chemistry right with Karthi which results in some funny quips initially. KS Ravikumar and others add value to their small parts.
Music and Other Departments?
GV Prakash Kumar’s songs are forgettable, especially in Telugu with its dubbed lyrics. The background score is all right. Ravi Varman’s cinematography is neat as usual. The dark mood and quirkiness are enhanced with the visuals.
Japan feels very lengthy and there is no doubt it drags in large parts. The editing should have been sharper and the narrative would have been better had the length been crispier. The writing could have been better.
Highlights?
Karthi
Few Comedy Lines
Ending
Drawbacks?
Length
Uneven Tone
Boring Stretches
Forced Emotions
Did I Enjoy It?
No
Will You Recommend It?
No
Japan Movie Review by M9
