Vikram (2022) Review: A Loud, Lethal Crime Saga

Is Vikram worth watching?

Yes. Vikram is a bruising, stylish and hugely entertaining Tamil action thriller that puts three of South Indian cinema’s biggest stars in one film and gives each of them room to shine. Lokesh Kanagaraj stages its violence with swagger and builds a crime world dense enough to carry a franchise. The reservations are length and clutter: at 174 minutes, with a heavily plotted first half, it asks a lot of viewers who are not already invested in its universe.

What is Vikram about?

A string of killings by masked men targets officials in and around Chennai, and the police bring in Amar (Fahadh Faasil), a sharp, unconventional black-ops investigator, to find out who is responsible. As Amar and his team dig into the victims’ lives, the case turns out to be far more tangled than a simple murder spree. It leads into the territory of Sandhanam (Vijay Sethupathi), a volatile drug lord, and towards a man whose past no one seems to fully understand, played by Kamal Haasan. Narain, Chemban Vinod Jose and Kalidas Jayaram are among the supporting cast.

Written and directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, Vikram is an Indian film in Tamil, running 174 minutes. It is rated UA in India and 15 in the UK, and it forms a central part of what fans now call the Lokesh Cinematic Universe.

Three stars, three energies

The film’s greatest pleasure is its casting. Fahadh Faasil carries much of the first half as Amar, and his watchful, slightly sardonic intelligence gives the investigation a grounded centre. Vijay Sethupathi goes big as Sandhanam, a snarling, unpredictable villain whose menace is laced with dark comedy, and he seems to relish every scene.

Kamal Haasan, meanwhile, is used cleverly. His presence hangs over the story before the film reveals exactly how, and when he takes centre stage the film shifts gear into full-blown star vehicle. It is a performance that plays on decades of audience affection while still giving the actor room for intensity and wit.

Kanagaraj’s style: grit, swagger and noise

Lokesh stages action with a mix of grime and spectacle. Night-time shootouts, close-quarters brawls and a climactic battle are shot with punchy energy, and the violence has real weight. Anirudh Ravichander’s score and songs are central to the film’s appeal, pumping up the big moments and giving the film the momentum of a stadium concert when it counts.

The film also rewards attention. Its world is layered with connections, including characters and threads that link back to the director’s earlier crime thriller Kaithi, and fans who know that film will enjoy the payoffs. Newcomers can follow the main story, but they will sense a larger universe just out of frame.

Where the machine overheats

The trade-off for all that ambition is sprawl. The first half is heavy with investigation, exposition and flashbacks, and it takes time for the story’s real shape to emerge. Female characters are mostly sidelined, and some supporting figures exist only to explain the plot or die in it. The violence, while expertly staged, is relentless and occasionally numbing, and the running time stretches the film’s energy by the final hour. It is a thrilling ride, but not a lean one.

Who should watch Vikram?

It is ideal for fans of Tamil action cinema, admirers of any of its three leads and anyone who enjoys big, operatic crime films with a mythology to decode. Plan for a long evening. The violence is frequent and bloody, with gunfights, stabbings and a strong focus on the drug trade, so it is best suited to older teenagers and adults.

To go further:

• Kaithi, Lokesh Kanagaraj’s tight one-night thriller, which sets up characters and threads that Vikram builds on.
• Leo, a later Lokesh action film that extends the same interconnected crime universe.
• More high-octane picks on the action shelf.

The verdict

Vikram is a loud, ambitious and thoroughly entertaining action epic, powered by three superb leads and a filmmaker with a clear sense of style. Its length and busy plotting take a toll, but for genre fans it is one of the most satisfying Indian blockbusters of its decade.

Rating: 4/5