The Indian version of "A History of Violence," "Leo," is a predictable yet pleasant film that is both what it seems like and not at all. If you're anticipating a big, gory, action musical with lots of bass about a coffee shop owner who has to defend his family from a crazy drug dealer who thinks our man is actually a vicious ex-gangster, you won't be let down. "Leo" is otherwise conducting business as usual, particularly if you see it for Tamil-speaking actor Vijay, as many ticket holders for the opening day have already done. Though his unease further heightens the suspense around his character's identity issue, Vijay appears less at ease whenever he attempts to develop Parthiban, the café owner and animal rescuer, into a multifaceted character.
A scene in his bakery where a group of irresponsible hoodlums (played by Mysskin, Sandy, and others) cause havoc sets the stage for this character, if the hyena rescue is any indication of what we should expect from our hero. A sequence that director David Cronenberg and screenwriter Josh Olson created specifically to create a tense atmosphere for their movie receives an obvious Lokesh treatment, from the stereo playing songs from the 90s Tamil cinematic canon, such as "Karu Karu Karupayi" and "Thamarai Poovukkum," to close-ups that narrow in on Vijay's face just before the shocking reveal.
Lokesh keeps building all he can, but there's a nagging doubt that the main villains, Anthony Das (Sanjay Dutt) and his brother Harold Das (Arjun), haven't yet been revealed. They think Parthi might be the long-dead Leo Das (a very cool Vijay). You wonder if the Das family's character journeys and the much-anticipated flashback could live up to the anticipation for the remaining runtime. Much to everyone's dismay, Lokesh's Leo falters here and ends up being his least successful movie to date. It fails to address the central query of the whole movie, which is, "Who is Leo Das and why did he turn against his own people?" You also never seem to be all that interested in the Das gangster squadron.
Partiban, played by Vijay, is an animal rescuer and café owner who resides in the hills with his family. When his friend, a forest ranger, calls him to help track down the spotted hyena, the beast terrorizes the town. This entire scene is masterfully constructed, providing the ideal introduction to our hero and his way of thinking. Instead of killing the hyena, he wishes to capture him. We learn later that his son is well-trained, according to a little excerpt as well.
One of the movie's main strengths is the action, which is uniquely designed for each scene. We all saw it coming, but this is the first time we witness Parthiban in action—the cafe scene. Then, at a certain moment, he snaps and chooses to kill to save his daughter. Bang, boom, boom, boom, boom! Five headshots in one go! The next scenes involving the judge, attorney, and police are really humorous. The market is home to the second fantastic action sequence. Here, there are additional goons and other props taken from the nearby area.As I previously stated, the action set is built differently; from conception to implementation, the team has demonstrated
