Jailer Movie Review: Tiger Muthuvel Pandiyan (Rajinikanth), a retired jailer, is a family man now. He spends his days making YouTube videos with his grandson, shopping for vegetables at the local market, and taking part in routine household chores. Muthuvel’s son (Vasanth Ravi), a police officer, goes missing while on a mission to nab a gang of idol thieves. When the news of his death is delivered, Muthuvel’s wife (Ramya Krishnan) pins the blame on his honest upbringing for this mess. Heartbroken, Muthuvel, ventures out to avenge his son’s death.
The 2-hour-40-minute-long film takes time to establish itself. It takes over 40 minutes to pick up pace. Unlike every Rajnikanth movie, which thrives on a mass introduction scene, this one doesn’t give that cathartic experience. This is where it becomes a Nelson movie. But, the interval block and the mass scenes in the second half make up for it. Director Nelson, whose last big screen outing was Beast, is back with his signature style of filmmaking - packed with subtle, dark comedy in the first half. In fact, it is Yogi Babu and Rajinikanth’s fun banter that saves the first half. Second half takes off well with several mass scenes, especially when the story goes back in time to show a glimpse of Muthuvel’s past, but quickly loses steam and ends up leading towards a dragged, albeit a bit boring and a disappointing climax.
Muthuvel Pandian is a strict yet empathetic jailer who learns that a gang is trying to rescue their leader from the prison, where he sets out to stop them.
