This is not a great movie. I can't even say that it's got its moments because it doesn't. I've felt this about Jeethu Joseph movies that the first half is more often than not a terrible drag. But it is forgivable in movies like Drishyam where the first part is used to strongly establish the lead character and the plot. It is also a pleasure when the movie takes a sudden turn from being nothing into a deep and dark thriller that makes you hold your breath till the very end. But Memories does not do that. It is clichéd and boring. Prithviraj tries to pull off the role of an efficient police officer who has been salvaged from his wrecked life by a senior officer who assigns him an intriguing case. The whole attempt to garner sympathy for the lead role who is trying to drink himself to death falls so flat on its face that the viewer is left a bit annoyed at the depressed protagonist. Prithviraj who usually does police officer roles with finesse (Ah, Mumbai Police!) is not believable as an irresponsible drunkard who can magically turn himself into a Sherlock Holmes-esque investigator with almost super human instincts and intelligence. After sitting through what seems like hours of the actor alternating between being an irresponsible brat and a brilliant policeman, the killer is revealed to be an absolute nobody - but oh, not without the abused clichés of a dark past and a physical handicap. Now the movie has to fill its viewers up on why he is an absolute psychopath. More characters and plot points are introduced and the end is a desperate attempt to sew all these up in one sensible piece without the viewer going crazy. The only take-away from the movies is the skill of shooting someone in a gasoline-filled room without blowing oneself up. Just watch that scene, skip the rest.
Review of Memories
