Critics Give It a 3.5
A known mobster and his son threaten Muruganandam, a constable and expert in laththi, who also happens to be a constable. He had no idea that this would endanger the life of his 10-year-old kid.
It's rare to see a cop action drama without the normal clichés that go along with this subgenre. The screenplay for Laththi was written by filmmaker Vinoth Kumar, who did his utmost to create a story with compelling tensions here and there. Given the subject they covered, the second half is a major letdown.
Laththi doesn't have a khaki-clad hero who rides around in automobiles and bikes. Instead, it depicts the daily struggles of a laththi specialist, a lower-ranking police officer, who must deal with a gangster's son.
A senior official is enlisted by Muruganandam (Vishal), a former laththi expert and cop who is currently on suspension, to help him get his job back. While everything appears to be going well, DIG Kamal (Prabhu), who assisted him in putting on Khakhi once more, asks him to torture a suspect who is being held in his unofficial custody.
He had no idea that the accused is none other than Ramana's (Vella) father, Sura, the most powerful criminal and kingpin.
Can the legendary gangster's wrath be avoided by Muruganandham and his 10-year-old son, who become imprisoned in an unfinished building, or will they succumb to them?
The idea behind Vishal's Laththi is at the right place. The movie gets off to a great start, and it occasionally shocks us by setting a couple sequences just right. However, as the movie goes on, the plot thins out, failing to provide us with the immersive experience it easily could have.
One of the story's biggest flaws is the second half's 45-minute stunt sequence. It's far too drawn out and prevents us from feeling sympathy for the protagonist's plight. In light of the work Vishal has put forth, the scene in which he charges against hundreds of criminals in an unfinished structure is fantastic. A handful of the later scenes, though, are overly theatrical, erasing the first half's true writing.
Even though Prabhu's character only appears for a brief while, his part is worth paying attention to. One of the movie's most notable features is Vishal's performance. It's clear throughout that he has certainly improved on his body language, especially for the constable position.
The background soundtrack and music by Yuvan Shankar Raja do little to enhance the film's emotional impact. The other technical parts are respectable, and the choreography of the stunt scenes is genuine. Laththi occasionally strikes us hard, but only a few of them actually hurt.
