Leo movie review: Vijay's brave effort to break type, some cheeky fan service save Lokesh Kanagaraj's weakest film yet

Director: Lokesh Kanagaraj

Cast: Vijay, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Mysskin, Priya Anand, Mansoor Ali Khan

Where to watch: Theatres

Rating: 3 stars

Over the years, Lokesh Kanagaraj has created a formula that sits somewhere between mass and story-backed social thriller. His heroes, his villains both have shades of grey and his characters inhabit a more real world than some of the other mass films from his contemporaries (the likes of Nelson and Atlee). But the trouble with a formula is that it gets predictable over time and becomes a diluted or caricaturised version of itself. That is the trouble with Leo. It occupies the same mould as Kaithi or Master but appears to be a faded version of them. The thing that manages to save it is its lead actor. Vijay outdoes himself playing a character that is perhaps the most vulnerable protagonist seen in a mass entertainer in years.

Leo is a loose adaptation of David Cronenberg’s iconic A History of Violence. Lokesh takes the same premise and elevates it to a mass setting but thankfully, he does not sacrifice the hero’s vulnerability and inner anguish. Leo is the story of Parthiban (Vijay), an unassuming wildlife rescue officer in Himachal, whose life turns upside down when he kills a bunch of gangsters in self defence. As media turns him into a national hero, two gangster brothers – Antony and Harold Das (Sanjay Dutt and Arjun Sarja) – are after his life because they are convinced he is someone else – Antony’s son Leo Das.

Leo follows the template of A History of Violence but it would be unfair to call it a remake or a rip-off. It just uses the same premise. It differs from the former in the same manner that Dilwale and Basha differ from Hum. Lokesh easily establishes Parthiban as a affable person, someone who abhors violence but would still go to any lengths to protect his family. He is not timid but cautious, like any middle-class family man would be. Vijay, with his greying beard and glasses, looks the part in a welcome change from the norm.

Leo is more Vijay’s film than Lokesh’s, but in a manner that I did not see coming. Lokesh has written a character that is not the conventional Tamil hero. Parthiban is helpless, vulnerable, and at times, even physically weaker than his opponents. He is not in control, he lacks discipline, and he even sheds tears. These are all things superstars tend to stay away from, at least in big-budget mass masala films. But Vijay embraces it. He makes the character more real than anything Lokesh could have done because he uninhibitedly plays his age and makes the character relatable. Vijay is unafraid to show a man who has fears, weaknesses, and faults. He cries and even kisses on screen (when was the last time that happened, by the way). And that is what sets Leo apart, making is more watchable than it should be.

The problem is that apart from Vijay’s brave attempt and performance (easily his best in years), Leo has little new to offer. The film fizzles whenever he is not on screen. The other characters are not as well written (unusual for a Lokesh film). The two Das brothers could very well have been cardboards and the film still would have been the same. It is sad to see Sanjay Dutt play a clichéd role after delivering KGF’s Adhira. And frankly, Arjun Sarja manages to get some mass moments but little character development.

Even Trisha has little to do in the film despite having ample screen time. The only actor (or character) that manages to steal the show from even Vijay in certain scenes is Sandy. The choreographer-turned-actor plays an unhinged killer to perfection, giving the audience some of the most delicious moments on screen.

The other thing that saves Leo is moments of fan service. The film answers the ‘will he won’t he’ question about its connect with the larger Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU) through Easter eggs, both big and small. Some characters here, some mentions there, and it is all subtle, unless it is not. But the film does take its own bloody sweet time to get to the point. It is almost as if Lokesh is simply biding time and using the film as a welcome mat for Vijay into the LCU. That lowers the stakes and dilutes this story’s importance. The second half also stretches far too long with few things of consequence taking place.

Perhaps, in the larger scheme of thing, Leo would make sense to fans of Lokesh or the LCU or even just Vijay. But as a standalone film, for people who have seen the director’s previous work, it remains underwhelming. The saving grace is a superstar trying something brave and pulling it off. So extra points to both Vijay and Lokesh for that.