Best of Tamil 2019

KAITHI, written and directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, is an emotional thrill ride. This Tamil film has three intersecting storylines taking place over the course of one tense night.  No songs and no love stories here.

Acting on inside information, Special Inspector Bejoy and his team have made a major drug bust and have hidden their haul in a secret bunker under the police station. They then attend their boss’ retirement party. Meanwhile, the corrupt Regional Head of the Narcotics Division, Stephen Raj, tries to make a deal with cocaine-fueled gangster Anbu, giving him the names of these honest cops. Anbu, in turn, offers a large reward to the goon who finds and kills them.

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Back at the police station, Constable Napoleon has just arrived at his new assignment. The other cops go off duty, leaving Napoleon in charge.  Upstairs there is a cell full of goons, and downstairs two college students are waiting to be processed for driving drunk. Three of their friends show up to take them home. Bejoy suspects Anbu’s gangsters will show up at the station, so he orders Napoleon to barricade all the windows and doors and not to let anyone in.

Dilli (Karthi) has just been released from prison after ten years. His single-minded focus is to see his daughter at a nearby orphanage in the morning. A stranger to the area, Dilli raises the suspicion of a local policeman who decides to cuff him and leave him in his parked jeep while he attends his boss’ retirement party.

Raj arranges for liquor at the party to be poisoned, causing the cops to fall unconscious. Bejoy, who injured his arm and did not drink, realizes he can get them all to the hospital in time to save them if he uses the caterer’s truck. He cannot drive because of his arm and the caterer is unconscious as well.  He realizes Dilli can drive a truck, but Dilli does not want to get involved. When Bejoy threatens Dilli with never seeing his daughter again, he reluctantly becomes the driver. So, Dilli, Bejoy, and the caterer’s assistant who know back roads start off with a flatbed filled with unconscious officers and a mole.

At this point in the movie, the opening credits have just finished. Settle back for a ride of 80 kilometers (50 miles) through the back roads of hell. Karthi as Dilli is a soft-spoken man of few words, but his eyes speak volumes. He has a powerful presence, convincing in the action scenes and touching when telling his backstory. Malayalam actor Narain as Bejoy was good as the righteous injured cop struggling to save his men. Young actor Dheena as the caterer’s assistant and the third person in the truck cab provided just the right amount of humor. Arjun Dass as Anbu was over the top as the crazy murderous drug dealer. All the other characters, from the courageous Constable Napolean to the resourceful college kids were very capable in their roles. Of course, I have to mention Dilli’s daughter Baby Monica who was very sympathetic as the orphaned ten-year-old.

Kaithi took place entirely at night. Cinematographer Sathyan Sooryan did a brilliant job of artfully lighting each scene whether it was watching the truck traveling from above, close-ups in dingy rooms, or shots of larger rooms with many people. The background music of Sam C. S. kept the pace and the suspense going. The movie did have some mass fights and an over the top crazy ending, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

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