The Greatest of All Time REVIEW: Thalapathy Vijay is the GOAT in this predictable but action-packed wholesome entertainer

Film:
The Greatest of All Time

Director: Venkat Prabhu

Writer: Venkat Prabhu, Ezhilarasu Gunasekaran, K Chandru

Cast: Thalapathy Vijay, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan, Ajmal Ameer, Jayaram, Sneha, Laila, Meenakshi Chaudhary, Vaibhav, Yogi Babu, Premgi Amaren, Yugendran

Runtime: 183 minutes (3 hours 3 minutes)

Platform: In theatres

The Greatest of All Time Review

Thalapathy Vijay is the GOAT and The Greatest of All Time is a film that proves it. The Venkat Prabhu directorial is an action-thriller film centred on the life of MS Gandhi, a SATS (Special Anti-Terrorism Squad) officer and the challenges he faces in his personal life when a mission leads to his family falling apart.

The film begins with the SATS team recovering stolen uranium from a group of terrorists led by Omar and Rajiv Menon (Mohan). Gandhi (Vijay) and his team – comprising of colleagues-cum-friends Kalyan (Prabhu Deva), Sunil (Prashanth) and Ajay (Ajmal Ameer). The thick as thieves friends, despite returning victorious, receive backlash from their chief Nazeer (Jayaram) for creating havocabroad. While the four continue to party and pull off more missions, Gandhi gets into trouble with his pregnant wife Anu (Sneha), who is suspicious of him having an affair.

To keep Anu and his son Jeevan happy, Gandhi decides to take them to Thailand while on a mission. Things go terribly wrong when the trio is attacked ending with Anu in a hospital and Jeevan kidnapped and ‘killed’. Years later, Gandhi has left the action-packed job in favour of a desk job and is separated from Anu. The dynamics are in for a change when a trip to Russia facilitates the entry of Sanjay. Who is he and why has he entered the lives of Gandhi and his friends and family is what the film is all about. Will Gandhi be able to mend the cracks in his family? Will the troubles of his professional life continue overshadowing his personal life?

Read our The Greatest of All Time review to know if the film is worth a watch in theatres.

What’s Works

Thalapathy Vijay is the biggest reason why GOAT works. The actor pulls off two completely different characters – with completely different mannerisms and ages, with perfection that audience may think it’s two different – but superiemly talented actors are playing. Aside from Vijay, the film’s masala quotient is why the audience is sure to love the film.

What’s Doesn’t Work

One of the major complain I had with the film is the songs. While it’s a given the film will have songs, the placement of them at a very crucial moment in the storyline breaks the flow and pace of the film. The predictable plot includes several loopholes – and these aren’t the one that defy physics.

Technical Analysis

Story

Written by Venkat Prabhu, Ezhilarasu Gunasekaran and K Chandru, the film has something for everyone in the form of family drama, friendships, action, humour and songs. The narrative is pretty predictable – thanks to the countless Indian films ww have seen over the decades, but still includes a couple of twists that will leave you stunned.

Direction

Venkat is a fan of Vijay and that is clearly visible in the way the director capitalises on the actor’s trademark charm, sentiment, action, dance and humour. He successfully make you love Vijay as Gandhi but what to kick Sanjay senseless for his troubles he brings to the remaining characters.

Editing

The pacing of the film edited by Venkat Raajen is a bit inconsistent. There are parts where the film feels unnecessarily slow and the narrative/scenes are being dragging. A bit of a faster pace in a couple of post-intermission sequence and shortening the songs would have been better to maintain the crispness of the film and reduce the runtime to be under the 3-hour mark.

GOAT Music

The music composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja is incredible. While the film’s four songs are sure to click and get you tapping your foot or singing along, it’s the background music that steals the show. The BGM is nothing short of electrifying, enhancing the tension and emotions in every scene. It elevates the film, making even the predictable moments feel intense and engaging.

The Greatest of All Time Cast

Thalapathy Vijay wows as both Gandhi and Sanjay/Jeevan. He pulls off two completely different personalities – who fall in different age groups and have very different ideologies to perfection. While no prosthetic makeup has been used to made the actor look different, it’s easily distinguishable who’s who by just looking at the way they walk, dance, talk or fight.

Prashanth as Sunil Thiagarajan, Prabhu Deva as Kalyan Sundaram and Ajmal Ameer as Ajay Govindharaj are impressive as SATS officials who are more than just friends to Gandhi. Mohan as Rajiv Menon, the film’s antagonist gives off a chilly aura owing to the things he does. Jayaram as Nazeer leaves an impact despite a short screentime. Sneha made you feel the emotional of a loving wife and then a distraut mother to perfection.

Conclusion

Despite minor hiccups, The Greatest of All Time is a well-executed film that showcases Vijay’s remarkable talent and proved why he is regarded as the GOAT by many. The movie might not be groundbreaking owing to its predictable narrative, but it certainly is a masala entertainer that the audiences will be hooked to. PS: The twist in the second half may leave you traumatized.

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