One of the best times I've had in a theater watching a Malayalam movie in ages. Angamaly Diaries is a really dirty (literally) gangster flick filled with pork fat and beef gravy and realistic fist fights and liquor.
The film marks a great debut for Anthony Varghese as Vincent Pepe. Chemban Vinod Jose is not just a powerful actor, but also a damn good writer. Lijo Jose Pellishery finally fulfills the promise he showed through directorial flourishes in overrated films like Amen. The long take at the end was truly riveting. But the gang war scene in the rubber plantation just before the interval made the movie for me.
The supporting cast (the director introduced 86 new actors apart from the hero) was terrific. Bitto Davis as 10 ml Thomas, Tito Wilson as U-clamp Rajan, Sarath Kumar as Appani Ravi and Athira Patel as Vincent Pepe's sister deserve special mention. Sinoj Varghese as the bomb-maker Kunjootan reminded me of Innocent. Merin Jose Pottackal as Maramkothi Sijo also stood out.
The background score filled with industrial noises was perfect for the film's volatile characters with their volcanic anger.
Something that separates Angamali Diaries from other gangster movies was that the gangsters in the film were actually very endearing. They are not like the murderous psychopaths driven by religion and ideas of honor in Gangs of Wasseypur. Nor are they like the low-lives in Goodfellas who would rat each other out at the drop of a hat. The Angamalikaar in the film are small timers trying to lead a honest life but turn to violence purely for survival. The scene where Pepe and 10ml request Appani and U-Clamp to drink with them after the settlement of a long standing dispute was so well done. It was one of the best dramatic moments in the film.
The film's final scene reminded me of Goodfellas. Vincent Pepe who lived purely on impulse, finds himself inside a box, in a country where liquor and pork might be hard to come by. A country that is unlike the anarchic Angamaly which he loved so dearly. Was it a bitter sweet ending? Or did Pepe find peace in married life with his wife? I am not sure.
(8/10)
The film marks a great debut for Anthony Varghese as Vincent Pepe. Chemban Vinod Jose is not just a powerful actor, but also a damn good writer. Lijo Jose Pellishery finally fulfills the promise he showed through directorial flourishes in overrated films like Amen. The long take at the end was truly riveting. But the gang war scene in the rubber plantation just before the interval made the movie for me.
The supporting cast (the director introduced 86 new actors apart from the hero) was terrific. Bitto Davis as 10 ml Thomas, Tito Wilson as U-clamp Rajan, Sarath Kumar as Appani Ravi and Athira Patel as Vincent Pepe's sister deserve special mention. Sinoj Varghese as the bomb-maker Kunjootan reminded me of Innocent. Merin Jose Pottackal as Maramkothi Sijo also stood out.
The background score filled with industrial noises was perfect for the film's volatile characters with their volcanic anger.
Something that separates Angamali Diaries from other gangster movies was that the gangsters in the film were actually very endearing. They are not like the murderous psychopaths driven by religion and ideas of honor in Gangs of Wasseypur. Nor are they like the low-lives in Goodfellas who would rat each other out at the drop of a hat. The Angamalikaar in the film are small timers trying to lead a honest life but turn to violence purely for survival. The scene where Pepe and 10ml request Appani and U-Clamp to drink with them after the settlement of a long standing dispute was so well done. It was one of the best dramatic moments in the film.
The film's final scene reminded me of Goodfellas. Vincent Pepe who lived purely on impulse, finds himself inside a box, in a country where liquor and pork might be hard to come by. A country that is unlike the anarchic Angamaly which he loved so dearly. Was it a bitter sweet ending? Or did Pepe find peace in married life with his wife? I am not sure.
(8/10)