Jack & Daniel Malayalam Movie
There is ample style statement from major characters Jack and Daniel right from the off. As the action begins, the hide-and-seek game between a robber and an investigative officer gives enough hopes that it's going to be riveting. Writer-director SL Puram Jayasurya sets the premise in the right proportion by giving sufficient pace and frames required for an action flick. 'Jack & Daniel' struggles when you explore the substance it has in store for us. Albeit a perfect milieu is in hand, Jayasurya relies on familiar situations that always give predictable outcomes.
Jack is an astute robber, played by Dileep, who targets black money and plunders them with his nimble movements and meticulous execution. He even beats the technology sans giving any evidence to the police, except leaving a note after the heist. Tamil actor Arjun Sarja as CBI officer Daniel Alexander follows him every time but Jack gives him the slip. During his journey to Goa, Jack meets Susmitha (Anju Kurian) and they become friends. Meanwhile, Jack also targets the illegal money deal of businessmen and even Ministers. Nobody comes forward to complain about the lost cash since it's black money.
Daniel's plan to nab Jack, who is accused of stealing Rs 1,700 crore, is thwarted by the absurd interventions by Crime Branch DYSP Philippose (Saiju Kurup). Here the decisions of Kerala police officers are shown as inane plans and the director portrays a couple of officers in an absurd manner. The action sequences may impress you but the scenes which show the adventurous action by Jack towards the climax looks amateurish. Cinematographer Sivakumar Vijayan has done a commendable work by creating some thrilling visuals.
'Jack & Daniel' is all the more a hide-and-seek game between a robber and an investigative officer. The deeds of the robber are packaged with unconvincing events in a cliched format. The lacklustre content makes the game hardly impressive.
Dileep appears equally acrobatic and agile as Arjun and the combo satisfies you in their performances. The actor, who had earlier done Jayasurya's directorial debut 'Speed Track', lends the energy the protagonist demands and sustains the vigorous act till the end. Arjun, who makes his debut in Malayalam, gets the limited scope for his trademark action sequences but still, he impresses throughout.
The appearance of action choreographer Peter Hein as himself in a scene is solely for evoking fun and it does not have any impact on the story. Gopi Sundar scores the background score and it's apt to the milieu of the tale. Since the plot hobbles due to its familiar template and lack of intriguing conflict, 'Jack & Daniel' turns out to be a mediocre creation.