PremiumMax movie review: Kiccha Sudeep is at his A-game in maximum mass one-man show
Max movie review: Kiccha Sudeep’s first major release in two-and-a-half years, Max was promised as a simple, action-packed story high on fan service. Does the film live up to it?
Last Updated: 12.30 PM, Dec 25, 2024
Max movie story: On the night before Inspector Arjun Mahakshay (Kiccha Sudeep) is to join duty again after yet another suspension for doing his job a little too well, his sub-ordinates have a not too pleasant run-in with the sons of two ministers. Arjun locks both the guys up, intent on taking action against them. But as news of their arrest spreads, a powerful gangster, a bent cop and several others lay siege on the station to retrieve them.
That’s easier said than done, as Arjun, aka Max, preps to defend his territory and his people, while also ensuring justice is served.
Max movie review: Kiccha Sudeep was looking for a simple and interesting tale that he could do quickly before he embarks on yet another world-building adventure with Vikrant Rona maker Anup Bhandari, with Billa Ranga Baasha. What he eventually chose, had him collaborating with a team from Tamil Nadu – a debutant director, Vijay Kartikeyaa, and a seasoned producer, Kalaippuli S Thanu – and together, they’ve cooked a fiery hot meal that will more than satiate fans of the Kannada superstar.
Max is a story that unfolds in one very happening night, between 7 pm and 7 am. Given how many plot points have been jammed into the narrative, that timeline may seem incredulous, but Max is the kind of movie that nitpicking seems like a futile effort. The team’s been clear that it is a commercial movie that’s high on fan service and they have lived up to that promise and how.
The story-telling is straight-forward, to the point, and high on action, with Sudeep doing all the heavy-lifting; it’s like a one-man show. The actor is in his element and his screen presence is something else. When he’s in the frame, he commands all the attention and in Max, he’s there pretty much all the time.
The problem, therewith, is that the rest of the characters remain space fillers and don’t have much value add. Sunil’s gangster Gani and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar’s Roopa, were not worthy opponents for Max, while pretty much everyone else was there to get beaten up by the bada** cop. Even his colleagues are a whimpering lot for the most part.
Ajaneesh Loknath’s score for the film was a big let-down, especially considering the superlative work he’d done on Vikrant Rona. The background score just about passes muster, but it’s the songs that don’t leave an impression. It doesn’t help that the makers chose not to spend and get a known face for the item number and made do with a bunch of background dancers taking centre stage.
The film is said to strongly resemble the Tamil film Kaithi and to some extent the Telugu flick Krack too, but if you’ve not seen either, chances are you will thoroughly enjoy this shot of maximum mass. Despite some shortcomings, Max remains immensely watchable, which is entirely down to its leading man. Max is a Kiccha Sudeep show all the way, and he has made sure that the wait his fans had to see him onscreen again was totally worth it.
Max movie verdict: Debutant director Vijay Kartikeyaa’s Max is a racy thriller that’s well- crafted and perfect for Kiccha Sudeep, who is front and centre of the film. There are a lot of moments that play to the gallery and yet, they never go overboard in catering to Sudeep’s star image. As thrillers go, Max may not have repeat viewing value, but the one-time will be a good watch.