Even a last-minute cheat code can't salvage this lost game
Bazooka(2 / 5)
By the time Bazooka nears its final act, it becomes increasingly evident why Mammootty agreed to do this film. Mammootty is always 'game' for anything he hasn't attempted before in his five-decade-long illustrious career. And then there's his penchant to work with new directors. Bazooka has both: a fresh idea and a debutant director. However, all novel concepts don't necessarily translate well on screen and Bazooka is the perfect example for that. To put it bluntly, it's a potent idea lost in execution.
Deeno Dennis, who has also scripted the film, has lent a gaming touch to what would have otherwise been a regular crime thriller. There's so much reference to gaming in Bazooka that Mammootty, in his intro scene, reads a book called 'Game of Life'. Jokes apart, gaming elements are indeed an integral part of the narrative. Kochi City's ACP Benjamin Joshua (a typically wooden Gautham Vasudev Menon) and his team are posed stiff challenges when a series of robberies rock the town. Benjamin is introduced to us as the most celebrated cop in the country, but you would doubt that if you see how he and his team proceed with the investigation. It takes them aeons to figure out that these heists have been designed like puzzles with clues planted right in front of them. They continue to waste time (both theirs and ours) to find out how and when these clues were delivered to them. Not that it matters anyway. There's so much dragging around in the first half that can easily disinterest a viewer. The pacing becomes further sluggish with the overemphasis on style.
Bazooka is yet another example of filmmakers' never-ending obsession with Mammootty's style and charisma. From him walking to wearing a new attire to riding a vehicle (vintage obviously), everything Mammootty does is captured in slo-mo. There are many such desperate attempts to elevate ordinary scenes but the staging is way off the mark to have any kind of impact. It is only towards the final act that things get a bit exciting. However, it's a real test of patience to reach there. It's not like the film lacks potential. There are some ambitious ideas scattered around, but they aren't cohesive enough to create intrigue. Moreover, the writing around how the gaming elements and investigation angle are intertwined is too basic and merely scratches the surface. All we get are a few mentions of popular games like Super Mario, Temple Run, and Snake and Ladders. Perhaps because this is a new terrain for Malayalam cinema, most of the information is spoon-fed through lengthy dialogues or by pointing out examples from books and the internet. It's as if the makers were trying to show us all the research material that they have gathered.
Despite the presence of capable actors, the performances are mechanical at best. The exchanges between Mammootty's character and Sunny (Hakim Shahjahan), a software architect-cum-gamer, are tedious and pretentious. Sunny initially comes across as a comic relief, but he soon becomes an important part of the storyline. Even then, his sudden transition to become the truth-seeker is unconvincing. One of the very few memorable segments in the film is a robbery attempt during a temple festival. Everything from the colours, cinematography, artwork, and music in that entire sequence come together brilliantly. However, the makers fail to recreate anything close to that in the subsequent portions. The worst of all is how amateurishly the stadium heist sequence is filmed. This inconsistency is evident throughout the film. Saeed Abbas' techno-heavy music also starts off promising, only to get repetitive and jarring after a point. You feel like you are in the middle of a rave party rather than a film.
Bazooka has Mammootty sleepwalking through it for the most part. But eventually, when he comes into his 'game', he manages to create some excitement. In gaming terms, this surge in energy is like a cheat code to salvage a lost game. However, the damage until then is so severe that there's hardly any scope for redemption.