Joji movie review: Top-rate crime thriller headlined by a terrific Fahadh Faasil

Joji

Director: Dileesh Pothan

Cast: Fahadh Faasil, Baburaj, Shammi Thilakan and Sunny PN

Joji, which is the third direct-OTT release for Fahadh Faasil in a span of six months, marks the third time collaboration for the star with director Dileesh Pothan and writer Syam Pushkaran. With each outing, the combo has only got stronger and managed to deliver work that will stand the test of time.

In Joji, a top-rate crime thriller that examines the fall of a family, Dileep and Pushkaran join hands to explore the concept of greed and how it pushes someone to the edge until he loses it. Based on William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the film follows the events in the Kuttappan family after an unfortunate incident.

Fahadh plays Joji, the youngest son of the Kuttappan family and he has big aspirations. However, his father feels he’s nothing but a loser. The two other sons are also controlled by their father and it’s a family powered by domineering patriarchy. But when the father suffers a stroke and is half-paralyzed, each member of the family has his/her own reason to celebrate. At the same time, the sons also feel that they will lose everything if their father recovers and survives. Joji comes up with a plan and pulls off the perfect crime but what follows snowballs into something messier.

The film, aided by Syam Pushkaran’s solid writing, beautifully explores the dynamics of a family torn apart by greed and power. Even though based on Macbeth, the story feels highly relatable, and the characters are hard to judge. Joji works effectively as a slow-burning psychological drama as much as it’s about a crime and the events that follow. It’s more of a psychological drama because you’re left to wonder what’s cooking in Joji’s mind after he commits the first crime.

The slow buildup to the crime is strongly complemented by the haunting score of Justin Varghese and the breathtaking visuals of Shyju Khalid. After committing the first crime, Joji wakes up the next morning and goes for a run and he reaches the top of a nearby mountain. When he stands at the tip of the mountain and looks down upon his house nearby, the visual is both beautiful and chilling.

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In what’s easily one of his juiciest performances in recent times, Fahadh breathes life into Joji – a sly, sadistic character with absolutely no remorse. It’s amazing how each of his collaborations with Dileesh and Syam has only resulted in a performance that’s hard to forget. As Joji, Fahadh is unbelievably good, bringing in a very sinister presence with his performance.

The supporting cast is equally good, especially Unnimaya Prasad as Bincy, the daughter-in-law of the house. Her character is a modern-day version of lady Macbeth, and she’s equally terrifying with a calm presence.