Leo
“Leo,” an Indian remake of “A History of Violence” that is both formulaic and satisfying, is and isn’t what it seems. If you’re expecting a loud, bloody, bass-heavy action musical about a coffee-shop owner defending his wife and kids from a paranoid drug dealer who insists our family man is really a violent ex-gangster well, you won’t be disappointed. Otherwise, “Leo” seems to be business as usual, especially for Tamil speaking star Vijay (many opening-day ticketholders will have attended for him).
Former child actor Vijay (“Beast,” “Varisu”) doesn’t have much range yet still never needs it, he’s an action star who looks good when laying waste to armies of heavies with feet, fists and various mallets and blades (action choreographer/stunt coordinator duo Abumani and Arivumani are credited with having staged the movie’s “Action” under their “Anbariv” stage name).
He looks less comfortable trying to make something multidimensional out of cafe owner/animal rescuer Parthiban though again, the discomfort only adds to his character’s identity crisis. Re-teamed with “Master” writer/director Lokesh Kanagaraj, here Vijay once more asserts his all utility qualifications. He can wrestle a computer generated hyena into submission, lead an okay warehouse full of extras in a dance number (fine enough), even punch drug dealer Antony Das (Sanjay Dutt) through the air into a Land Rover.
The drive to affect any mood/style/pose imaginable is not unusual for such a popular charismatic marquee topper as Vijay, who nevertheless remains eternally youthful even when his fastidiously stylized beard boasts skunk stripes. Still, it’s rather striking to see him play a character who protests this much whenever faced with his own killer rep there’s even an anthemic song that, in a couple of scenes, suggests “Mr. Leo Das is a badass.” So who does Vijay think he’s fooling?
Thankfully Parthiban doesn’t have to be credible as anything other than the occasion for melodramatic fireworks. In character, Vijay is believable enough as a stern but loving dad to pouty pre-teen Mathi (Iyal) and polite adolescent Siddharth (Mathew Thomas), as well as a doting but paternal husband to Sathya (Trisha). Some incidental details suggest that in the town of Theog, Parthiban is known as “an ordinary person yeah, just a peace lovin’ soul,” as one song goes. Vijay gets even more convincing when inexplicably dispatching wave after wave of violent baddies who either assume he’s actually Leo Das, Antony’s estranged son or simply don’t know whom they’re dealing with.
Part of what makes “Leo” so endearing is how familiar it already feels both for its something for everyone’s mood swings and its pulpily stock plot. There isn’t any satirical edge here like there was in the movie version of “A History of Violence”; but then this is the kind of vehicle where, in order to win over his young daughter, our hero dances to the strains of “Thanmani Pookkun” from Tamil icon Prabhu’s 1995 romantic drama “Pasumpon.” In another scene we hear relatively modern movie music from the 2005 Vijay crime drama “Thirupaachi,” which further hints at this film’s cinematic lineage.
If you have known Vijay before then you probably know what he is capable of. He reminds us in `Leo’ every fight scene, mostly composed and cut as dynamically as they are choreographed. Also, whenever Parthiban laments or protests that he couldn’t possibly be Leo, Vijay lightly testing expectations. Do not listen to that song no matter how many times it’s played. How can you ever doubt that face?
Like with any other action star, Vijay presents a reality whose only normalcy is defying all possible standards thereof. In a voiceover aside he suggests (Parthiban) must believe in himself first so he could be more convincing to everyone else; that’s the kind of movie this is, though its baggy pacing might still try anyone’s patience who just wants to see Vijay stab a hyena and maybe also gawk at Sanjay Dutt I mean Antony Das as he sacrifices a goat at his satanic-looking shrine complete with pentacle and giant bird of prey statue. Anything can seem normal when you’re already invested.
Sometimes Vijay seems too worked up during some performances where Parthiban/Leo has emotional outbursts that need to take scene into next level of emotional intensity but then again nonchalance does not suit him. He cares too much even while blowing away few more nondescript baddies (if watching Leo,’ should be for no reason other than seeing him show off between animal attacks car flips celebrities cameos). And even if one expects nothing from Leo,’ it might still give them exactly what they need.
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