Magizh Thirumeni does a tremendous job in trimming down the fat out of a big star vehicle and in showcasing the star as a vulnerable protagonist rather than the supposed big hero. Ajith is vulnerable, he gets beaten up, he gets tricked, his anger feels quite palpable and it's such a refreshing choice to build the protagonist character in such ways. The idea to treat his character in a much more subtle manner allows for more palpable tension. The tension building in the first half is done well, with a slow burn approach that works in the film's favour.
The geography of the film is beautifully handled, with the wide shots of the vast expanse areas, creating a sense of endless mystery. The visual treatment of the film gives it a new flavour in terms of look and mood. The action sequences are shot with a lot of vigour and style. Magizh never toys with physics and logic and this lends fresh and impactful combat scenes.
Magizh Thirumeni deserves humongous credits for sticking to the genre, with absolutely no deviations. The way he sincerely caters to the genre with his visual appeal makes this film much more effective. The greyish treatment of the lead relationship with changes being the main theme is novel and interesting.
In his attempt to cut the flab out of a typical big star actioner, Magizh misses out on the change to increase the tension needed for a thriller like this. The thrills don't feel powerful after a point and there aren't many reveals to the writer's credit. The stakes never rise to a nail-biting level for a single day thriller genre piece. Ajith as a star takes ten steps forward to justify the story, but Magizh as a maker goes five steps behind.
Added to this, Magizh adds a lot more subplots and his trademark detailings to the proceedings which dilutes the content. The shock value of a couple caught amidst a group of mysterious people should have had a tinge of mystery to their identity to feel the sudden entry of them, shaking the leads' lives.
Magizh always had the ability to craft smart scenes in his screenplay with layers and topping them with a cold calculative protagonist. He misses out on this trick in the film, focusing more on the vulnerability before shifting the gears. His idea to give a backstory to the villain couple is interesting and he spices it up with a decent idea, but the characters are never fleshed out to the maximum. The gang just comes across as random threats only to get beaten up after a point.
The action scenes are filmed with a great technical approach and the Hummer scene with the top angle is amazingly shot and choreographed. The combat sequences don't defy logic but the constant cuts never let us feel the raw power of the blows and this plays with the rawness of the action blocks. Magizh brings in his violent touches towards the end with some satisfying murders but it doesn't end up as a gratifying payoff.
The story has a neat flow to it, with few high moments but the writing has very little set up and payoffs. After a nice tension building exercise in the first half, the film goes full throttle to the action episodes, elevated by Anirudh's scores, but they don't have a smart tweak to them. Magizh, in his original thought could have sprung in a lot of fresh ideas and touches, but he limits himself to just staging the thrills and chasing.
Amidst all these dilutions, Vidamuyarchi is a much needed break in Ajith's filmography, that manages to make a mark in the space of true genre film, courtesy of Ajith's sincerity, Anirudh's scores and the overall filmmaking flair. This is another step towards pushing 'heroes' to be showcased as the protagonist of a story and Vidamuyarchi is more or less a healthy addition, with flaws and issues.
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