Directed by debutant Jean Marcose, the film 'Angels' remains well within the precincts of aesthetic discipline of a noir film. You barge into the middle of action, which trails a mysterious path ahead. From there, the plot evolves convincingly leaving no room for dejection at any point. The course of the saga on serial murders shrouded in mystery progresses through dark and limited environs. Though you don’t find the need to prepare yourself for some nerve-wracking revelations, you enjoy the ride. The situations are essentially realistic.
Thus, you sail through the first half, cross the intermission and happily binge on some popcorn awaiting the rest to follow. By the time the hard-hitting facts start coming in towards late second half, you realize they hit with lesser impact because, the dramatic contrivance, with which they were catapulted, was short of artistic consummation. The plot is novel and genuine, but it doesn't pull you to the edge of the seat.
Hameen Hider (Indrajit), pursuing the mystery behind the murders of three women in a similar manner gets too close to the culprit when he is physically assaulted and is shot in his leg leaving him crippled for sometime. The charge of investigating the crime is then transferred to another officer, SP Ashok Kumar (Baiju). When Hameem recuperates and returns the sharp shooter is transferred to a training institute.
When an eccentric priest, Verghese Punyalan (Joy Mathew), proposes the case to the Third Eye, a TV show based on unsolved crimes, the producer of the programme, Haritha Menon (Asha Sharath) is initially apprehensive about its telecasting. But she goes ahead with the proposal when she reads the book penned by the priest who claim to have a major say in the unsolved mystery behind the crimes. Rather than focusing on events that lead to the unravelling of the mystery, a major chunk of the storyline deals with the peripherals of the main subject. By the time it reaches the climax, the film loses vigour and borders on being a documentary.
The editing, by Sreejith Sarang, has been quite noteworthy as the sequences are blended seamlessly. However, the BGM plays the spoilsport, resonating to no end, leaving no distinction between the subtle and the sombre, the grave and the mild. The songs, by Jakes Bejoy, are really good, especially their visualisation.
In the department of acting, Indrajith continues with his proven mettle and so does Asha Sharath and the rest of the cast, except Prem Prakash, who essayed the role of the TV channel's head, who reacts to the situations in a dud, sluggish manner.
Though well woven, coherently built and loaded with a strong social message, it lacks lustre and fails to evoke awe and wonder. The film is watchable for the performances of protagonists and the novelty of the theme.
Rating: 2.5/5