Agilan Movie Review: N Kalyanakrishnan's debut feature, Agilan, could have been an impressive film. The movie shows quite a few sparks of brilliance in a well-edited first half (save for a needless song). This could have been Jayam Ravi's Thani Oruvan moment in his career. Unfortunately, the second half was a drag, and Thani Oruvan became Bogan, minus the scene-stealing Arvind Swamy. Agilan Trailer: Jayam Ravi Plays a Baddie Smuggler at the Port in This Intriguing Crime Drama.

Agilan deals with illegal activities in our country's ports, with a focus on the Chennai port. Agilan (Jayam Ravi), the protagonist, works as a crane operator there, but it is his side hustle that has earned him a lot of notorious attention. You see, he assists in smuggling activities in the area and hopes to catch the attention of the big don who operates from there, Kapoor (Tarun Arora).

Agilan is so astute and farsighted that he even plants his love, Madhavi (Priya Bhavani Shankar), in the police department to keep him out of trouble. A thorn in his side is Gokul (Chirag Jani), a police officer who wants to put an end to all criminal activity around the port and catch Agilan red-handed. Paranthaman (Hareesh Peradi), a jealous union leader who is also a smuggler, and Harish Uthaman's character, a corrupt traffic police officer, are two of Agilan's other enemies.

Watch the Trailer of Agilan here:

The first half of Agilan does a really good job of establishing the criminal nexus around the port, and Agilan's rise to be the 'King of the Ocean'. It's clear that the director, who also wrote the screenplay, did his homework here. The wide shots of the port's workings give the film a larger-than-life feel, and the pacing is good. Agilan has only one song, which is placed in the first half; while it slows down the pacing, there isn't much to complain about.

The film's most impressive sequence is when Agilan assists Kapoor in trafficking a dangerous hacker while Gokul tries to figure out his game. The extended sequence is a thrilling one that is meticulously edited, impressively scored by Sam CS, and well-directed. The scene piqued my interest as a viewer as it brings the film to a glorious halt at the interval. It also contributes to Agilan's persona as a cunning and dangerous anti-hero. Iraivan First Look Out! Jayam Ravi’s Intense Avatar From His Upcoming Flick Co-Starring Nayanthara Unveiled.

Alas! Some things are too good to be true. In case of commercial potboilers like these that's headed by a popular and much-liked star, they refuse to maintain the grey status to its protagonist (films like Mankatha are rare examples). The second half is starkly hampered by trying to whitewash its protagonist by giving him a tragic backdrop and bringing out the hidden 'Samaritan' agenda in him. Good writing could have saved these parts, unfortunately N Kalyanakrishnan's screenplay falters big time here.

The flashback sections, along with a stretched action-packed third act that fails to bring out any tense moments or thrills, become Agilan's undoing, as they unpack much of the good work of the first half. A lack of a villain worthy enough for the protagonist to take down also hampers these portions.

Jayam Ravi's committed performance is the only element that works well in both parts. The rest of the cast are okay in their weakly written roles.

Final Thoughts

An well-mounted first half is woefully undone by a stretched and uneven second half, Agilan mostly feels like a fine opportunity harpooned and sunk in the middle of the ocean. Still, there are a couple of good takeaways, namely Jayam Ravi's performance and N Kalyanakrishnan's promising future as a director.

Rating:2.5

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 10, 2023 06:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).