Arjun, as even a child would say, is a robust action hero. Fights are his forte. Similarly, director Sundar C, as the same child would say, is known for his earthy stories with dollops of humor and comedy.
So when the duo pair up for Giri, you expect a happy mix of fight and fun. But in the end you get a pale pastiche of mindless mayhem and some contrived comedy. It is not as if Giri does not have its moments. It is just that it does not seem enough.
Further, Sundar, who has made Giri in Telugu too, does not seem to be sure of whom to satisfy --- the Tamil or the Telugu audience. Not surprisingly, he falls flatly between the two stools.
Giris story is as old as the sky. It is about two landlords of two villages and their internecine quarrels. FEFSI Vijayan and Vinu Chakravarthy, the duo, cannot see eye to eye on anything and their vision is also full of villainy for the other.
In one of the fights, Vijayans sons are slain and he vows to do the same to Vinu Chakravarthys son. But the latter packs off his younger son to an unknown place --- nobody knows where he ends up.
So Vijayan is always on the look out for the missing son of his rival.
In the meanwhile, Vinu Chakravarthys family is helped out by the son of one of his servants. Needless to say, the servants son, Arjun, is loyal and goes to any length to save the family.
Adding intrigue to the script, the run-away son returns after 20 years as Prakash Raj, the honest police official with a mission --- to unite the warring groups of the village. However, his plans come unstuck as the revenge-seeking Vijayan finishes him off. Before he dies, Prakash Raj seeks out Arjun and urges him to save his son and wife (Deivayani) living
in Chennai.
The rest of the story is all about how Arjun keeps his vow to Prakash Raj. And by the time you come to the climax, you have enough seen gore and violence that you feel like calling up Amnesty International.
The film is saved by the staccato burst of comedy from Vadivelu. But post-interval he goes AWOL as the script sticks to fights and fisticuffs. The two heroines, Reema Sen and Ramya, hardly have any scope --- their roles being shorter than the costumes they wear.
Arjun, as his wont, is robust in fights and dependable in general scenes. But in a predictable role that has very little surprise in it, he cannot be expected to do better. Vadivelu, as his sidekick running a bakery, continues his good form from his previous Sundar film Winner. Vinu Chakravarthy goes over the top regularly. Prakash Raj in another typical role is neat and dignified. Deivayani, as his wife, has a lachrymose role.
The music of Iman is loud and earsplitting. The other technical aspects of the film are okay. But the fights, by Power Fast, deserves special mention.
Sundar Cs desperation, who is enduring a bad patch (he has not had a hit for some time), is obvious. The producer Khushboo (his wife) has spent lavishly. But he does not seem to have repaid his wife as he lets the story sink in the quagmire of pulp and predictability.