5 recensioni
Memories, is a noteworthy movie that comes from Jeethu Joseph who previously gave us the mediocre yet entertaining My Boss, Mummy & Me and Detective. It was quite unexpected for me that he's come up with a movie with such a gripping and entertaining plot. I mean I knew he had skills, evident from his other movies, but Memories turned out to be quite a welcome change from his recent flicks.
Memories uncannily stands out among the recent hyped releases from Ranjith, Lal Jose and Samir Thahir, and with good reason. The lesser you know about Memories the better experience it'd be. Though in a nutshell, it's about a tragedy-stricken, alcoholic police officer named Sam Alex who's shoved into investigating a series of murder cases. The first half of the movie effectively portrays how much distress Sam was in and in the second act the narrative smoothly slides into the investigative mode.
Its been marketed as a psychological thriller, it is definitely a thriller but hardly psychological (an exception being the main antagonist). The pacing was at its finest in Memories allocating equal time for character development and, in its second half, where it transitions into a good thriller. And among all that, there was barely a boring scene anywhere which keeps things intriguing. The second half was more akin to a true whodunnit mystery which keeps you guessing till its revelation in the finale.
Despite the quasi-star-studded cast of the movie, the sole spotlight was on Prithviraj and he effortlessly handled his role of Alex. I wouldn't say its his best performance till date, thats still set aside to his performance as J C Daniel in Celluloid. Commendable performances from Vijayaraghavan, Suresh Krishna kept things flowing. Brownie points for the antagonist which I have no intention of revealing here. (Thank me! :P)
Memories doesn't have the best cinematography or the finest score and the cg was silly and unnecessary but what it lacks there, it more than makes up for, in its intriguing narrative and direction. Its a promising thriller from director Jeethu Joseph which comes off as a plain thriller with no frills attached that never goes over-the-top neither does it fail to entertain you at any point. Watch this one at the big screen and before someone spoils it for you.
Memories uncannily stands out among the recent hyped releases from Ranjith, Lal Jose and Samir Thahir, and with good reason. The lesser you know about Memories the better experience it'd be. Though in a nutshell, it's about a tragedy-stricken, alcoholic police officer named Sam Alex who's shoved into investigating a series of murder cases. The first half of the movie effectively portrays how much distress Sam was in and in the second act the narrative smoothly slides into the investigative mode.
Its been marketed as a psychological thriller, it is definitely a thriller but hardly psychological (an exception being the main antagonist). The pacing was at its finest in Memories allocating equal time for character development and, in its second half, where it transitions into a good thriller. And among all that, there was barely a boring scene anywhere which keeps things intriguing. The second half was more akin to a true whodunnit mystery which keeps you guessing till its revelation in the finale.
Despite the quasi-star-studded cast of the movie, the sole spotlight was on Prithviraj and he effortlessly handled his role of Alex. I wouldn't say its his best performance till date, thats still set aside to his performance as J C Daniel in Celluloid. Commendable performances from Vijayaraghavan, Suresh Krishna kept things flowing. Brownie points for the antagonist which I have no intention of revealing here. (Thank me! :P)
Memories doesn't have the best cinematography or the finest score and the cg was silly and unnecessary but what it lacks there, it more than makes up for, in its intriguing narrative and direction. Its a promising thriller from director Jeethu Joseph which comes off as a plain thriller with no frills attached that never goes over-the-top neither does it fail to entertain you at any point. Watch this one at the big screen and before someone spoils it for you.
- sohansurag
- 23 dic 2013
- Permalink
- riddhimaakaritu
- 10 set 2020
- Permalink
Memories (2013) :
Brief Review -
Jeethu Joseph's intense crime thriller towered by Prithviraj Sukumaran's superb performance. There have been many crime thrillers revolving around a serial killer who is set to seek a revenge for something bad happened to him in the past and it's quit watchable too. If you know how to watch a thriller set in this zone without expecting anything intellectual then Memories is a fine watch for you. Yeah, but to be frank it definitely lacks the powerful statements in the climax, such as we have seen in Korean thriller 'Memories of Murder' or for much known reference take Jeethu Joseph's own Masterpiece 'Drishyam' for instance. Memories becomes predictable by the end, anyone who have seen at least 10 crime thrillers (not 100+ i mean) would easily predict that the killer is gonna be killed while finishing up his last job and then there's The End to it. Yes, if that's enough then Memories should be considered a great thriller. Sam Alex, a drunkard ex-cop, is forced to investigate a series of murders which are committed in the same pattern. His search leads to a serial killer, and something more than what he expected. The entire narrative is intense and gripping, there are no light moments and there is no philosophy. However, there is a biblical reference used, which surely makes this revenge very interesting. Apart from that the best thing about the film is superb performance of Prithviraj Sukumaran. I don't say, he nailed it but he has done more than enough with that uninteresting character. The next and last best thing is Jeethu Joseph's direction. I still feel it could have been better because his Drishyam has set the bar very high and it is very difficult to match the same level every time and we have to understand that. Anyways, Memories is fabulous thriller overall but to be honest, we have better ones in Indian Cinem. So, it's not a must watch kind of stuff but certainly gripping enough for one time viewing.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.
Jeethu Joseph's intense crime thriller towered by Prithviraj Sukumaran's superb performance. There have been many crime thrillers revolving around a serial killer who is set to seek a revenge for something bad happened to him in the past and it's quit watchable too. If you know how to watch a thriller set in this zone without expecting anything intellectual then Memories is a fine watch for you. Yeah, but to be frank it definitely lacks the powerful statements in the climax, such as we have seen in Korean thriller 'Memories of Murder' or for much known reference take Jeethu Joseph's own Masterpiece 'Drishyam' for instance. Memories becomes predictable by the end, anyone who have seen at least 10 crime thrillers (not 100+ i mean) would easily predict that the killer is gonna be killed while finishing up his last job and then there's The End to it. Yes, if that's enough then Memories should be considered a great thriller. Sam Alex, a drunkard ex-cop, is forced to investigate a series of murders which are committed in the same pattern. His search leads to a serial killer, and something more than what he expected. The entire narrative is intense and gripping, there are no light moments and there is no philosophy. However, there is a biblical reference used, which surely makes this revenge very interesting. Apart from that the best thing about the film is superb performance of Prithviraj Sukumaran. I don't say, he nailed it but he has done more than enough with that uninteresting character. The next and last best thing is Jeethu Joseph's direction. I still feel it could have been better because his Drishyam has set the bar very high and it is very difficult to match the same level every time and we have to understand that. Anyways, Memories is fabulous thriller overall but to be honest, we have better ones in Indian Cinem. So, it's not a must watch kind of stuff but certainly gripping enough for one time viewing.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.
- SAMTHEBESTEST
- 29 mag 2021
- Permalink
- anupviswanath
- 15 mar 2014
- Permalink
If you are an avid movie aficionado, then you would realize how "Memories" loosely relates to some of the Hollywood & Bollywood mysteries. But apart from that, it was real pleasure to watch Prithviraj as the protagonist of the film, which ended quite disastrously.
Jeethu Joseph is known to remake films (e.g.: My Boss). Memories is faintly like that, but if you ask me questions, I'm gonna babble. Cutting to the story, it talks about how a policeman comes out of blues to investigate serial killings. His intentions are plain as white. Vijay Raghavan & Suresh Krishna are great and together with the lead character, they manage to pull off some humor, drama, thriller & of course, suspense.
The first 20 minutes is establishment period. Next 90 minutes are pure pieces of top-notch thriller, although borrowed from few classics/flops (e.g. Dhoom 2, Grand-master). As he achieves breakthrough, the killer's intentions are unfolded & that is what makes it more interesting. The melodrama involved in the climax sequence is typical Malayalam cliché and was totally unnecessary, which should mean it drags to 2 hours 20 minutes.
But, alas! there is one big plot-hole about the killer on how he goes on to become what he actually is. Also, the makers fail to mention few points in the first half. Cinematography is stupendous, so are the music, songs, direction & rendering. Thank goodness there's no superhero machismo here & that further helps.
BOTTOM LINE: Recommended! Just because it is a glib doesn't mean it is a bad thriller. Had the climax been justified, I'd have rated it a pure 8. But this is 6.9/10. Probably a good film of 2013.
Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES
Profanity/Vulgarity/Nudity/Sex: No | Alcohol: Critical | Smoking/Drugs: No | Violence/Gore: Very Strong
Jeethu Joseph is known to remake films (e.g.: My Boss). Memories is faintly like that, but if you ask me questions, I'm gonna babble. Cutting to the story, it talks about how a policeman comes out of blues to investigate serial killings. His intentions are plain as white. Vijay Raghavan & Suresh Krishna are great and together with the lead character, they manage to pull off some humor, drama, thriller & of course, suspense.
The first 20 minutes is establishment period. Next 90 minutes are pure pieces of top-notch thriller, although borrowed from few classics/flops (e.g. Dhoom 2, Grand-master). As he achieves breakthrough, the killer's intentions are unfolded & that is what makes it more interesting. The melodrama involved in the climax sequence is typical Malayalam cliché and was totally unnecessary, which should mean it drags to 2 hours 20 minutes.
But, alas! there is one big plot-hole about the killer on how he goes on to become what he actually is. Also, the makers fail to mention few points in the first half. Cinematography is stupendous, so are the music, songs, direction & rendering. Thank goodness there's no superhero machismo here & that further helps.
BOTTOM LINE: Recommended! Just because it is a glib doesn't mean it is a bad thriller. Had the climax been justified, I'd have rated it a pure 8. But this is 6.9/10. Probably a good film of 2013.
Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES
Profanity/Vulgarity/Nudity/Sex: No | Alcohol: Critical | Smoking/Drugs: No | Violence/Gore: Very Strong