DC

Director Arun Matheswaran's DC is an engaging and arresting revenge thriller that dials up on violence, while embracing it. Composer Anirudh's work does its magic and stays with you long after the credits roll.

Overall, DC is stylish, brutal, raw, unfiltered, and quite hard-hitting. The film embraces dark tones, bloodshed, and intense action, making it a perfect big-screen experience. With a runtime of 2 hours and 22 minutes, it turns out to be quite a gripping watch with hardly any dull moments.

DC, a gritty and riveting gangster drama, is a superb watch

DC is Arun’s most accessible, entertaining, and engaging film, and it gives Lokesh Kanagaraj the safest acting debut

DC isn't perfect. It sometimes mistakes ambition for balance. But when it locks into its rhythm, it's stylish, gripping and visually unforgettable. The winner, however, is Anirudh, who turns up with one of his best scores in recent memory.

One of DC's biggest strengths is the clarity of its writing. The screenplay doesn't merely move its narrative forward but does so with precision and intent.

Arun Matheswaran is one of the very few directors in India's current generation who make films that depict harsh societal realities with brutal honesty. The film is based on the novel but what we get to see is a film which is very original. Every sequence, every dialogue and every visual in the film oozes originality.

Overall, DC is a gritty action drama powered by Anirudh's music, strong visuals and a confident acting debut from Lokesh Kanagaraj. It may not be a conventional mass entertainer, but it offers a distinctive theatrical experience for audiences comfortable with intense and graphic violence.

Lokesh Kanagaraj-starrer is a moody, visually rich drama that falls short

With DC, Arun Matheswaran gives the tale of Devdas a stylish, blood-soaked treatment where Wamiqa Gabbi and Anirudh Ravichander steal the show. Anirudh Ravichander's terrific score and Mukesh G's striking cinematography elevate the film, though its emotional impact struggles to match its formidable style.

Where does one begin while setting out to describe the control Arun Matheswaran's exercises over his source material, in what is easily his most complete film?

If you like genre films that stay true to their flavor and don’t go for compromises that can widen their business, I would highly recommend DC.

DC is at its best when Matheswaran trusts his actors and Anirudh's music to carry the weight of its violence and grief. But beneath all the bloodshed and stylish excess, the film's imagination rarely extends as far as its visual language. It is a striking reimagination of Devdas, though its writing does not always have the imagination to match its craft.

But he can't make a cliched story that is fixated on death come alive, nor can he justify the staggering 142-minute runtime. With character-building taking a backseat to gun-waving and knife-wielding, performance isn't what is on offer here.