Swanthanthryam Ardharathriyil movie review highlights: A gritty action thriller

The wait for Antony Varghese's second film is over with debutant filmmaker Tinu Pappachan's Swanthanthryam Ardharathriyil.

The movie, which has most of the Angamaly Diairies team reuniting, comes with a lot of expectations, considering the previous film was a blockbuster and also a trendsetter of sorts.

Swathanthryam Ardharathriyil

, which is 2h 17 minutes long, revolves around Jacob Varghese (Antony Varghese), a Kottayam-based youth who worked in a finance company as its manager. His life though changes overnight and we are introduced to him and wife Betty (Aswathy Manohar) as they are on the run from the cops as suspects of five cases including the murder of a sub inspector.

Most of the premise of the first half is set in a sub-jail where Jacob is remanded. Slowly, he gets acquainted with prisoners Simon (Vinayakan) and Kallan Devasiya (Chemban Vinod), and hatches a plan to escape the jail. However, more perila await them both outside as well as inside the prison. Will they survive the odds? That's what the second will be about.

The first half owes a lot to Girish Gangadharan's slick frames and Deepak Alexander's grunge background score for giving it the stylish impetus. Contrary to the trailer, the first half of Tinu's debut effort is not violent or gruesome but rather is a neat, gritty action thriller.

Vinayakan and Chemban bring the humour to the script while also putting on sombre performances. Antony proves he is a talent to look out for, never falling out of place as his character who has the smarts and daring to pull off an escape.

Lijo Jose Pellissery, who plays a lawyer, Kochi Tellus as Charlie, Jacob's aide outside prison, and Chemban Vinod also appear in prominent roles. The second half determines if the characters can accomplish what they set out for and if they can survive the battle ahead.