Movie Review 'Angels': An undramatic Police drama

Director: Jean Markose

Cast: Indrajith Sukumaran, Asha Sharath, Joy Mathew

Without a second going to waste with fancy camera work, we are introduced to the hero, and the night that changed his life. Indrajith is here and ready to begin the story of Hameem Haider, a policeman who is shot on a rainy night.

It is refreshing walking into the theatre knowing that, this is not going to be one of those police dramas with its long shots and close-ups, slow-motion walkouts and lengthy dialogues about justice. It is also a good thing for the many fans that enter the theatre with a handful of paper scraps to throw in the air when their hero comes on screen. But as the movie proceeds, that promise fades.

It’s like a silent rule for police movies in Mollywood, there’s got to be a long chase and a dragging fight, a few smart retorts, and at least one slow-motion walking scene. To be fair, Angels has kept all this to the minimum. Indrajith does not send off a villain or a superior officer with an angry outburst and a lengthy monologue. His one-line replies are also not wisecracks destined to shock the listener into silence.

Director Jean Markose deserves a little pat on his back for avoiding these overly used stereotypes of police fiction. Also the hero doesn’t take centre stage throughout the film. There are good chunks of the movie given to its second line of actors Asha Sharath who appears with a live television show called ‘Third Eye’ and Joy Mathew, a rebel priest called Fr. Varghese.

Asha has clearly come out of the police suit she donned for ‘Drishyam’, and behaves like a perfect TV host, hungry for sensation and exclusivity. Joy Mathew is again a man of the church, but not the Amen-type of guy. Here he is a cheerful playful man, a bit of a rebel, who has also taken upon himself to do a bit of moral policing. Showcasing him as a man of righteousness somehow seems to justify his chauvinistic stands like women are to be beaten by husbands now and then.

Also doing a good job is Baiju as the police officer replacing Indrajith. But for some reason, Hameed is portrayed as a failed officer, when in fact he might be lauded for risking his life to solve a case. Barring certain incoherent details and uncalled-for diversions in the story, Jean has made a pretty decent debut with ‘Angels’.

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