Characters come and go – a journalist who doesn’t believe in research, a cop who doubts Arvind, a suspect who worked as a driver for one of the victims. A heavily made-up Aishwarya Rajesh reminds us, grimly, that one Kaaka Muttai does not a Kollywood career make. Even the serial killer’s motive is underwhelming. And he won’t shut up either.

Kanithan, thus, is probably the closest Tamil cinema is going to get to Spotlight – that is, if the journalist was played by Rambo. You cannot have a mainstream movie, especially one whose lead actor is making a big bid for stardom, without action sequences – but these are excitingly staged, especially one in which Gowtham takes on an acrobatic villain who seems an expert in what looks like indoor parkour. But it isn’t just thrills. We realise how serious the film is from the body count of the good guys.

A powerful, chilling drama about how the System toys with us…

Urumeen doesn’t have much by way of laughs. It doesn’t need any. The way-over-the-top direction is its own comedy track.

An okay thriller, with goodies for fans…

Put differently, Chimbu Deven has forgotten to make a movie for adults. His inventions surprise us, delight us for a second or two – and then we’re back to the turgid story.

Thani Oruvan isn’t all that it could have been. If you’ve wondered why we don’t make thrillers like the Bond films and the Mission: Impossible films, the reason is right here. In those films, a few minutes are devoted to detailing who the target is, what the mission is, and then we’re up and running. But Tamil films keep trying to transcend the basic thriller. They want to deliver enriching messages. The too-good-to-be-true hero wants to preach — he spouts four lines when he only needs one. All this becomes a lot of extra baggage. The film slows down from time to time.

The film is basically a road movie. It’s also a drama about fathers and sons. The title — mercifully unexplained — may refer to candy but the film is a quiet ode to the bittersweet life.

Some nice bits can’t save a grindingly ordinary movie…

In the midst of filmmakers who think they’re giving us spectacle by going to virgin foreign locations and shooting mountains and flowers, Rajamouli gives us more… and more. This isn’t just about grandeur in visuals. It’s about grandeur in ideas.