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Join UsStar Cast: Dhanush, Shiva Rajkumar, Sundeep Kishan, Priyanka Arul Mohan, Nivedhithaa Sathish
Director: Arun Matheswaran
What’s Good: The struggles during the pre-independence era from the POV of the oppressed class, a deeply-thick-bearded & rocking-a-man-bun Dhanush, G.V. Prakash’s trance-transporting BGM
What’s Bad: Don’t call it a slow burn if things are burning very slowly; call it a very slow burn!
Loo Break: A couple of times, majorly during songs
Watch or Not?: For Dhanush and the world he owns, designed by the visionary Arun Matheswaran
Language: Tamil
Available On: Theatrical Release
Runtime: 2 hours 37 minutes
User Rating:
Set in the pre-Independence era, we have Analeesan, aka Issa, aka Captain Miller’s (Dhanush), who starts his tumultuous journey siding with the British because, he reasons, “Our kings might not give us slippers, but the Britishers are giving us boots.” For him, freedom is respect, and for that, he goes against his revolutionary brother (played by Shiva Rajkumar) and his mother.
On his first mission at his new job as a British soldier, he’s asked to fire at hundreds of Indians protesting against the British & that’s where it hits him. That’s where he decides to use his rechristened name, ‘Captain Miller, ‘ to destroy Britishers with the help of the revolutionaries in his village. But Captain Miller isn’t so simple; he’s twisted just like his fate & you can’t tell whether he’s with you or against you.
Captain Miller Movie Review: Script Analysis
The only question after “Katappa ne Baahubali ko kyon maara?” that needs to be asked ASAP is, “What’s with South Indian filmmakers & their lust to touch the 3-hour mark?” Yes, I totally agree that a filmmaker is a world-builder, but would you want to live in a world that takes a little too much time to get to even get to the basic things? It gets a little boring. But what a world Arun Matheswaran has built! Because he couldn’t make a film on the real-life Tamil Eelam liberation struggle stories as it would’ve been ‘too controversial,’ he decides to paint his world in which the insane bravery of a traitor turned revolutionary would be questioned.
Siddhartha Nuni’s cinematography doesn’t match the unparalleled vision Arun Matheswaran sets with his direction and screenplay (with Madhan Karky). Just like Sonchiriya, you can feel the rawness through the ultra-realistic setup of the story. Just like Kantara, the village is a character in itself that you connect with owing to the in-depth explanation of its cultural significance.
Captain Miller Movie Review: Star Performance
There are some roles that you think about & immediately can say *this xyz actor would be perfect to play this character.” & Captain Miller is one of the many for Dhanush. He performs like he was born to play Captain Miller. The pace results in a few dips in his character arc graph, but he overcomes every shortcoming by acting his heart out.
Shiva Rajkumar‘s cameo is not as good as Jailer‘s, but it has enough meat to let you marvel at it. Priyanka Arul Mohan & Nivedhithaa Sathish blaze the screen up with their presence but unfortunately don’t get any scene for which they’ll be remembered.
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Captain Miller Movie Review: Direction, Music
Arun Matheswaran is slowly and gradually creating a niche for his films, which would be known for their unique presentation. After two good attempts in Rocky & Saani Kaayidham, he returns to a different world with the same vision of doing something others have not done. Yes, there’ll be a dozen films with a similar template as Captain Miller, but somehow, this feels richer & more polished visually, at least.
The above feat achieved also involves the omnipresent presence of G. V. Prakash Kumar’s heavy-on-the-beat BGM. He undoubtedly makes the best usage of a ‘damru’ in the background, leveling up the intrigue to be in those sequences. The aura of Killer Killer is magnificent, but the Hindi lyrics don’t really do any justice to it.
Captain Miller Movie Review: The Last Word
All said and done, the highlights of Captain Miller are Dhanush‘s electric presence coupled with the G.V. Prakash Kumar’s immersive background score & Arun Matheswaran’s vision to create a world never seen before.
Three stars!
Captain Miller Trailer
Captain Miller releases on 12 January, 2024.
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For more movie recommendations, read our Jigarthanda Double X movie review here!
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