Vijay's 'Leo' review: An out-and-about 'masala' mass entertainer
What's the story
Vijay has made his grand entry into the Lokesh Cinematic Universe with Leo: Bloody Sweet, and it's no ordinary entry. The opening scene itself paves the way for a high-octane actioner. Despite a few misses here and there, the movie does turn out to be a mass entertainer, that runs on Vijay's performance, action sequences, cinematography, and other things. Read our detailed review.
Story
Parthiban gets 'bloody' when his family is at risk
Parthiban (Vijay) lives in Himachal Pradesh's quaint town with his wife Satya (Trisha Krishnan) and children where he runs a coffee shop. However, things turn upside down when his shop and daughter are attacked. What follows is a series of events leading to bloodshed and confusion over Parthiban's real identity, whether he's Leo Das, son of Anthony (Sanjay Dutt), a tobacco giant.
Performance
Vijay aces his acts, both as Parthiban and Leo
It's not always that you see an actor crying after carrying out a bloodshed scene. In Leo, Vijay does that, and that too with a lot of finesse. Every time he unleashes the inner beast to protect his family, he outdoes himself. From being a caring husband to a dotting father and a savior of the family, he is a sight to watch.
Cinematography
Cinematography and action: The two strengths
Two aspects where Leo shines brightly are its action sequences and the camera work. The action scenes and stunts are clean and impressive. It wouldn't be wrong to say that Bollywood still needs to learn from South Indian industries when it comes to action. Cinematographer Manoj Paramahamsa has done a fabulous job, especially with the flashback fight sequence and the car chase.
Music
Anirudh Ravichander's BGM is not to be missed
The film's score is composed by Anirudh Ravichander. Given the high-paced action sequences that the movie runs high on, his background score has helped in enhancing the experience. The BGM is peppy, pacey, and rightly fits the sequences. Speaking of its songs, Leo has two tracks in the movie - Ready Chal and I'm Scared. Between the two, only the latter seems to work.
Direction and LCU
Not the best of Kanagaraj's LCU
The scenes where director Lokesh Kanagaraj tried to establish a connection with the other two LCU films, Kaithi and Vikram, seemed a lot forced, making Leo appear to be a standalone film. What started as a powerful and effective film, eventually becomes lost and confusing. The director also couldn't justify the cameos of Anurag Kashyap and Medona Sebastian, which were as good as nothing.
What didn't work
A jarring second half
The first half is a crisp watch, keeping you hooked on the story. The introduction of the antagonists Anthony and Herold (Arjun Sarja) before the interval is also rightly placed. However, it's the second half where the film loses its grip with the introduction of new characters as part of the flashback. Also, Anthony's superstitions, which form a subplot, are too hard to digest.
Verdict
Those who enjoy actioners will love watching it
As mentioned earlier, Leo thrives on good performances (especially of Vijay, Dutt, and Sarja), cinematography, and action. Don't try to dive too much into the story, it'll disappoint you. Having said that, watching it in the theaters will be an entertaining experience, especially if you enjoy loud cheers and whistles from the audience. Verdict: It gets 3 stars out of 5.