Jack & Daniel Review

alayalam cinema has had the cat-and-mouse chase between a cop and a thief aplenty. This is a genre where Sathyam Anthikad-SN Swamy combo came out with a cult classic 'Kalikkalam' and much later Joshiy -Sachy-Sethu combo came out with 'Robinhood' which catered to the new-gen palate at their respective times. 'Jack and Daniel,' written and directed by SL Puram Jayasurya, is ambitious of fitting into that very genre.

Jack is a businessman by day and he moonlights as a burglar who steals black money from the high ranks of bureaucracy. Daniel Alexander, an incorruptible police officer, is deputed to nab him. The film is one chasing the other.

Dileep has played enough thieves in and as Meesa Madhavan, Gopi in Vettam and numerous other characters for us to see him play similiar characters. So, for anyone who has seen him play all of these characters this film and his character Jack hardly offers anything new. Arjun, the action-hero from Tamil, who plays the rugged and righteous cop Daniel Alexander is on deputation to nab Jack. Anju Kurian, the female lead, plays Sushmita Daniel's love interest. The story allows her with very little space in terms of performance. In fact the story, lackadaisical as it seems, moves too slow for it to be termed an action-thriller. Peppered with nationalism and patriotism, the 'Jack and Daniel' makes a feeble attempt at redemption in the second half, but manages nothing of the sort. The jokes with misogynistic flavour are crass. Sexual innuendoes are also thoroughly inept for family consumption and are aplenty. The story moves too slow for anyone to care. And when it finally unfurls, it manages to leave gaping holes of logic.

Saiju Kurup is the much-needed comic relief and is possibly the best chance of a solace in the film. Ashokan also comes with his share of slapstick comedy. Peter Hein makes a thoroughly unnecessary special appearance in the movie, but does a fantastic job as the choreographer of the stunt sequences. Though, if that is your cup of tea, towards the end the film mirrors James Bond stunts that defy logic, reason and physics. Cinematography is pretty clean and engaging.

Even for a Dileep fan 'Jack and Daniel' has nothing new to offer. It is old wine in an old bottle, in that it's the same good cop chasing a good thief story in a predated narrative which we have all heard and seen far too many times.