Por Thozhil Review: A Thrilling & Chilling Serial Killer Mystery That Follows Traditional Textbooks

Vignesh Raja brings "Por Thozhil," another murder mystery thriller in Tamil cinema, which has been enjoying a cult following with its recent thriller movies. The murder mystery genre has evolved over the years with multiple theories that are known to everybody nowadays. Yet, Tamil cinema has made some breathtaking murder mystery thrillers in the last 4-5 years. Ratsasan became popular, and the trend began. Now, Por Thozhil comes as another surprise, with all those textbook theories and suspenseful and modern design. It's a serial killer mystery with some unpredictable twists and lots of textbook stuff, but as a whole, it throws enough to hook you up. Tamil cinema is definitely growing above mainstream level, and Por Thozhil fills one brick in its establishment.

Set over a period of about a fortnight (in November), Por Thozhil starts off with a dead woman's body. SP Lokanathan (R. Sarathkumar) arrives at the crime scene and is shattered by the gruesome act of murder. He is joined by a faint-hearted, gold-medalist, newly appointed officer, Prakash (Ashok Selvan), to solve the serial killer mystery, but as their natures differ, they don't get along well. A lady assistant, Veena (Nikhila Vimal), is assigned to help them in the case as they take off on a journey to find the killer. The investigation follows thrilling conflicts and then takes you to another place, another killer, and another backstory with shocking and chilling revelations before you reach the end.

Por Thozhil has everything that you seek in a suspense thriller, even if you have seen a lot of thrillers. There is an ample amount of suspense, which is needed to keep a thrilling ride alive for almost two and a half hours. What happens with most thrillers is that they take forceful turns towards the end to make the protagonist win the battle. Ratsasan faltered there, but Por Thozhil uses substantial conflicts to give a push to the protagonist, which is theoretically a better step. Of course, some flaws are there and need to be blasted. The hero-heroine's first meeting, with them looking at each other like they were falling in love sooner than expected, just like thousands of films, was so boring. Again, the same lady is used in the climax, like we saw in Ratsasan and some other Hollywood thrillers from the 1990s. I was expecting some fresh theories here, but anyway, it's nothing that bad.

R. Sarathkumar is rock solid as a cold-hearted cop. He has done a fabulous job keeping the character rough and tough throughout the film. Look at those expressions when he senses something but pretends as if nothing happened. The way he lights his cigarettes, his attitude while walking away, and everything else is just amazing. Ashok Selvan is a handsome fella, and he suits the image of a young cop as well. Veena's character has a very limited scope, but Nikhila Vimal has done well enough. Por Thozhil will be remembered for the legend Sarath Babu, and what a terrific performance he has delivered here! Can't speak on other cast members as it will lead to a lot of spoilers, so let's skip it.

On the technical front, Por Thozhil drives you in with its chilling experience. The background score is super, and it's been used so well according to the situation. The art of putting things together in editing is pretty much mastered by Sreejith Sarangm. It's a bit slow in the beginning, but I can give it a chance since it's about setting the characters. Kalaiselvan Sivaji's camerawork is fantastic, while the sound design is fine. Above all, Por Thozhil is Vignesh Raja's film all the way. He is the main figure here, and every single thing he does on screen speaks so loudly about that. He is damn intelligent about whatever he attempts to showcase. He elevates the experience of watching a thriller with directorial scenes, be it an investigation scene, merging two scenes at the same time, bringing two layers together, or unfolding twists—Por Thozhil uplifts the regular conflicts because Vignesh was putting his brain behind the camera and monitor. Overall, Por Thozhil has both thrilling and spine-chilling moments that are needed for an engaging viewing experience. So, watch it.