REVIEW: THE PRIEST (Malayalam)

Producers- B. Unni Krishnan and Anto Unnikrishnan

Director- John. T. Chacko

Star Cast-Mammootty, Manju Warrier, Nikhila Vimal, Sania Iyyappan and Srinath Bhasi

Genre-Horror Thriller

Rating-**1/2 (Two and a half)

Scares in Parts!

Jyothi Venkatesh

The Priest is an investigative thriller and full of red herrings, though almost all throughout the film which stretches on and on for over two and a half hours, you wonder whether, Mammootty, who is a priest or Father of the Church plays a detective, and towards the climax, the cop is nowhere to be seen and the once upon a time super star single handedly solves the suspense by dishing out punishment to the culprits with the help of the evil spirits.

Especially since the Priest does not mind the police taking the credit for mysteries he solves, they are more than happy to welcome him into their investigations.

Father Benedict Carmen (Mammootty) is approached by a young woman from the family to investigate the deaths.

But there is more to the story, as the film slowly unfolds. The eerie murder mystery starts with the investigation into the multiple deaths in a single business family over a few years.

Any resemblance to a sensational case that took place in Kerala last year can be quickly dismissed.

However, as the film slowly unfolds and one by one, all the culprits behind multiple deaths in a family over the last few years are exposed, but there is more to it than meets the eye.

Even as the cops and Fr. Benedict investigate the case, another suicide happens, quite unexpectedly.

This comes as a shock not only for the team but also the audiences they manage to get some clues.

Sorry, the scene stealer of the film is not Mammootty but a little girl called Monica who brilliantly plays the ghost infested Ameya.

However, some of the rather violent sequences involving the child are indeed difficult to stomach as they are hard viewing for other kids and even adults.

Nkhila Vimal is good as the school teacher Jessie while Manju Warrier , who plays the role of her sister Susan Cherian just about provides a spooky interest in the proceedings in the film. V.P. Venkitesh, who plays Jessie’s fiancé, just about fills up the gap and is just about average.

To sum up, the film The Priest which was theatrically released just a month ago scares the viewer in parts and is also engaging in parts and keeps you on the edge of the seat