A few weeks ago, I saw Vetri Maaran’s Visaaranai, a powerful movie that critiques the police force by exposing the brutality those in authority inflict on vulnerable people. For them, Sethupathi might feel like an unexpected public relations opportunity from Kollywood—even if it's purely accidental—that could help rebuild trust with the community. From the opening credits onward, which pay tribute to law enforcement officers, similar to how Thuppakki’s end credits honored our soldiers, the film consistently portrays cops in a positive light. The movie also brings back the familiar masala action hero cop, someone whose actions are designed for audience approval. Sethupathi (Vijay Sethupathi), an inspector on track for a promotion to assistant commissioner, is determined and courageous. When a police officer is murdered within his jurisdiction, he begins investigating, discovering that a local figure named Vaathiyar is involved in the killing and sets out to pursue him. He even arrests Vaathiyar (Vela Ramamurthy, who delivers an excellent performance as the villain, just as he did as the kindhearted patriarch in Paayum Puli), but an unexpected accident involving a gun and a student threatens his career. However, Sethupathi soon realizes this incident is connected to the case of the deceased officer. Now, he must engage in a game of cat and mouse with Vaathiyar while trying to save his job. The film largely revolves around Vijay Sethupathi’s performance. This marks his first action hero role, and he fully embraces the persona, projecting an undeniable star presence. It's been some time since Vikram in Saamy that an actor has so effortlessly shown the necessary casual confidence for a masala movie cop. Like the character in Saamy, Sethupathi combines intelligence with strength, capable of intimidating criminals simply by his appearance and outsmarting his enemies. Arunkumar skillfully uses this to create numerous moments designed to elicit cheers from the audience. Two scenes particularly stand out. One involves him concealing his face with a scarf to attack the villain’s henchmen after getting into trouble earlier due to a video surfacing. In another, he gives instructions over the phone to his wife (Ramya Nambeesan) and son while protecting them from goons who have broken into their house. The director, known for the gentle Pannaiyarum Padminiyum, makes an effort to elevate his hero, and at times it seems like this overt commercial approach might be a reaction to the disappointing box office results of his first film. He certainly appears to have learned something from that experience. The leisurely pacing of the earlier movie is replaced with a brisk narrative style. And, thanks to the editing by Sreekar Prasad and the energetic score by Nivas Prasanna, he achieves this without relying on flashy techniques like rapid or overly edited shots. If there’s a drawback, it's in the scenes set at Sethupathi’s home. They seem intended as breaks between action sequences, and while the subplot of a happy family (complete with children and marital affection) provides a feel-good contrast, these scenes become repetitive. Another issue is that although the villain is intimidating, his henchmen don't come across as a credible threat to Sethupathi. However, Arunkumar deserves credit for keeping the film consistently engaging, preventing viewers from dwelling on such minor flaws and simply enjoying the ride.

Source on TMDB