12th Man - Phones Out

12th Man

Malayalam, 2022

Director - Jeethu Joseph 

Stars - Mohanlal, Unni Mukundan, Saiju Kurup, Anusree, Leona Lishoy, Sshivada, Rahul Madhav, Priyanka Nair

Mohan's Measure ⭐⭐⭐

Those of you who have seen the trailers of 12th Man will be surprised to learn, like I was, that the movie is not a thriller, but is actually a carefully crafted whodunit. Of course, it gives it no less credence as a class film. But l have to admit feeling a little disappointed that a the creepy feel of the trailer quickly vanishes by the second half, in favor of an albeit complicated detective story. 

Six women and five men, all close friends gather together at a resort as a precursor to a wedding.  An innocent game with smart phones reveals a lot more than anyone wants to know, leading to argument and an apparent suicide. 

Enter the 12th Man.  At first appearing as a fun loving drunk, Mohanlal's character very soon revealed to be a seasoned Deputy Superintendent of Police.  Seeing Mohanlal as the straight - laced cop straightens the tone of the film and brings us face to face with the vices and worries of the Millennial Generation.

Keeping track of the characters, who is married to whom, and who owes what to whom is a complicated task. Adding to it are the cell phones being juggled around by the noted cop. 

But, the intellectual acrobatics bring flavor to an engaging and unpredictable film.