Debutant director Abhijeet Joseph, who has also penned the film’s screenplay, doesn’t walk on new ground but is sure of what he is doing.
Debutant director Abhijeet Joseph, who has also penned the film’s screenplay, doesn’t walk on new ground but is sure of what he is doing.
It is safe to say that the identity and motives of the criminal that Circle Inspector John Luther is investigating is not something that most came up to our estimates. The motivation is so bizarre and complex that it threatens to derail all the painstaking work of scripting an intriguing investigation.
Debutant director Abhijit Joseph, who has also penned the film’s screenplay, doesn’t walk on new ground but is sure of what he is doing. This makes sense from the arresting opening scene of a carcass landing with a muzzle on top of a bus, snaking down a hairpin-filled highway on a rainy night. The mood, setting and measured arrival at the suspense during the end of the scene give a clue as to what lies ahead.
John Luther (Jayasuriya), the titular character, has some weaknesses, but is quick in his job of spotting clues where hardly any are present. He is not averse to taking risks, as evidenced by the album of Polaroid photos of John with various injuries to his sister. Being completely immersed in his job, he remains absent from the family even on the most important occasions. The body on top of the bus launches an investigation, which will lead to more challenges as they move forward.
john luther
Director: Abhijit Joseph
Cast: Jayasuriya, Deepak Parambol, Athmay Rajan, Siddiqui
One of the elements the script uses to advance the story is the partial deafness that John maintains in an attack by an accused in another case. Although it has not been shown to impede investigation, reduced hearing leads to behavioral changes in character, which are effectively expressed. It is also woven into the investigation, making suspects or witnesses repeat things they have already said, or their voices being played again from a recorder that it carries.
The investigation itself is quite systematic, with a series of crimes taking place at intervals, leading to new tangents, preventing our attention from faltering. But the quest for an easy-to-guess twist in the story led the script to falter in the later half, with revelations on the murderer’s motives making us question the possibility of such a scenario.
John is depicted in such a way that he is rarely shown struggling to find clues. His struggle lies within the family, where he is constantly questioned about the risks of his absence and his job. The three female characters have unimportant roles, have no independent existence and only have relevance in relation to John’s character.
john luther is an equally paced thriller that only falters in the final act, in an attempt to deliver a shocking twist.
John Luther is currently playing in theaters