Movie: Marco
Rating: 2.5/5
Banner: Cubes Entertainments
Cast: Unni Mukundan,Siddique, Jagadish, Abhimanyu S Thilakan, Kabir Duhan Singh, Yukti Thareja, Ishaan Shoukath, Durva Thaker, Sreejith Ravi, and others
Music: Ravi Basrur
DOP: Chandru Selvaraj
Action: Kalai Kingson
Editor: Shameer Muhammed
Written and Directed by: Haneef Adeni
Release Date: Jan 01, 2025
On December 20, 2024, Marco made its theatrical debut and became the highest-grossing A-rated Malayalam film. Critics hailed it as the most violent film. Now, the Telugu-dubbed version has hit theaters.
Let's explore its merits and demerits.
Story:
Victor, who is blind, witnesses the killing of his friend Wasim. Despite his blindness, Victor identifies the murderer as Russell Issac, the son of Tony, using other sensory methods.
Victor's brother, George Peter, the patriarch of the Adattu family, runs a gold smuggling network and is devastated by his loss. Tony is a member of this syndicate.
Marco, Peter's adopted brother, vows to seek vengeance for Victor's death.
How will George and Marco discover that the gang members within their own syndicate are responsible for Victor's murder?
In what brutal manner does Marco exact revenge for his brother's death?
Artistes’ Performances:
Unni Mukundan's performance is a pleasant surprise. He has primarily played supporting roles in Telugu cinema, but in this film, he brings charisma as the main protagonist. His appearance and aggressive swagger evoke the style of Yash in KGF. Despite his character's superficiality, he handles action sequences and embodies the necessary style for the role with flair.
Siddique’s portrayal of George generates significant intrigue.
Jagadish appears promising initially, but his character ultimately falls short.
Yukti Thareja’s role lacks significance. Kabir Duhan Singh’s portrayal as the antagonist is satisfactory. However, Abhimanyu S Thilakan’s role is poorly written.
Technical Excellence:
The film is technically sound, with terrific cinematography, editing, and background score. While the action choreography is intense, it is the editing and background score that primarily keep our interest.
Ravi Basrur, known for his exceptional background scores in action dramas like KGF, delivers a standout performance with his work, which is a major highlight.
Chandru Selvaraj creates the perfect mood for this action-packed film with his lighting and cinematography. The first half of the film features sharp editing that enhances the viewing experience.
Highlights:
Stylised narration
Unni Mukundan’s swag
The racy first half
Production quality
Drawback:
Violence that is unbearable in certain episodes
Weak story
Pre-Climax episode
Analysis
While Rajamouli promoted high-graphic movies in Indian cinema, Kannada director Prashanth Neel pioneered the use of action dramas centered on the hero’s flair and swag, as well as long, violent scenes. He delivered blockbusters like KGF and Salaar using a distinct editing pattern and background score, which many filmmakers are now adopting.
The Malayalam film industry, traditionally known for low-budget, concept-rich, and content-driven films, surprisingly ventured into the same action genre with Marco, producing what may be the most violent and brutally graphic film in Indian cinema.
The story of Marco is simple: a gangster avenges the death of his brother and goes to any length for his family. While this is a clichéd storyline, Haneef Adeni’s narrative style brings swag and flair, which keeps the audience engaged, at least up until the interval.
We’ve seen many films with excessively gory and violent action dramas in recent Indian cinema, such as Animal and Killer, but Marco surpasses them all in depicting the most violent action sequences.
It is shocking that the censor board allowed a scene where the antagonist mutilates the womb of a pregnant woman in labor and kidnaps the infant.
Numerous other sequences involve slicing mouths, forcefully smashing children’s skulls against the floor, and violently striking their heads with heavy objects. The entire second half resembles a bloodbath, with bodies piling up.
The second half becomes a monotonous bloodfest, lacking narrative depth.
The film excels in the first half, particularly in the beginning, the progression of events, and the compelling incidents involving Victor's death, Marco’s arrival, and the family’s quest to find Victor's true killers.
The director’s narrative technique and editing approach completely captivate our attention. Some of the sequences are handled even better than those in Prashanth Neel’s films. Despite its gory scenes, the first half of the film is quite engaging.
The character of Tony, portrayed by Jagadish, is intriguing at the start, and the first half includes many remarkable moments. However, once it becomes clear that Marco will relentlessly pursue the killers, the narrative begins to feel tedious and illogical. The pre-climax episode is cringeworthy, and the romantic track between Yukti and Unni Mukundan feels silly.
Overall, Marco impresses with its stylish narration and exceptional technical elements. However, it is also filled with stomach-churning violent scenes and ultimately feels like a mix of films such as KGF and John Wick.
Bottom line: Stylishly Violent