Oscillating between a full-blown action entertainer and a sentiment-driven story, Coolie misses the mark more often than not. But when it gets things right, the film is wonderfully entertaining. Take, for instance, the train fight featuring Dayalan and Preethi. Or the scene where Deva tries to understand how Rajasekhar’s death machine works. But these are far and few, and are often bookended by scenes that drain down this high. Also, Lokesh’s films didn’t rely on so many writing conveniences till Coolie. And we are never given convincing answers to many questions, which is so unlike a Lokesh film. Of course, it isn’t the question of logic, but the pizzazz is missing. Like a magic trick, it isn’t enough if you make something disappear; it is important to bring it back. Similarly, a lot of scenes unfold without rhyme or reason, and we are never told how certain things happened. Case in point, how did Deva empty a secret stash of smuggled goods? How does he enter or escape the lair of a dreaded gangster without breaking a sweat? Why does every principal character get a minimum of two introduction scenes? Why is everyone referencing a flashback that isn’t as scary as they mean it to be, especially because of its inexplicable placement in the narrative? And most importantly, if the de-aging portions are the film’s trump card, why the delay, and why hurry it so much?
Again, this anguish isn’t just because the film has immense hidden potential, but because it has stretches where we are privy to this potential. But the film loses steam midway when it shoddily tries to tie together various subplots. There were one too many cameos, and even a villain too many in a film that needed just one strong adversary who was off his hinges against Deva, who was convincing when he was measured, and fantastic when he let himself go. The film plays it too straight for a long time, and chooses subtlety when flamboyance was required, considering the ensemble, setup, and expected payoffs.
The reliable Anirudh is effective in most portions, giving the film the right amount of intrigue and massiness, and overcompensates for the contrivances in the narrative when all the cards are laid on the table. For a film that wants to rely more on the emotional journey of a loner coming to terms with loss and longing, Coolie takes too long a time to get there. There aren’t enough scenes of Deva with the other prominent characters, and this, automatically, keeps us away from feeling invested in their plights. There is an information dump in the final act that puts a smear on the good work that happened so far. Considering the smartness in the action sequences involving Rajinikanth, it is disappointing that an all-important revelation happens during a stunt scene that is not just repetitive but bland. Once again, this blow-hot-blow-cold treatment proves to be the undoing of Coolie, which needed more emotional heft if it wanted to be taken seriously as an action drama.
Unfortunately, Coolie is burdened by the weight of its own expectations. When the biggest superstar of Indian cinema is collaborating with one of the most successful Indian filmmakers in recent times, expectations are bound to be had. Coolie had all the ingredients in place, too, and nope, this is not about the cameos from stars of other languages. It had a simple premise, powered by a compelling, even if hurried, flashback, characters ranging from the zany to the stoic filling up the screen, and decent twists. And yet, for all its highs, lows, and everything in between, Coolie, which aimed for the most super of all stars, ends up being a film that soars high only to crash land with a bang and a half.