If you have been reading us in the past few years, you will have probably realized that we have a particular love from crime thrillers, here in Asian Movie Pulse. However, we felt that Korean first and Japanese second are the ones that mostly draw the attention of the audience, and thus, we decided to focus in another industry which actually thrives on a number of films of the category, the Indian one. “Gangs of Wasseypur” may be the most renowned, but we thought we should also present a number of others that are definitely worth a watch, and not only from fans of the category. Here are 15 of the best, in chronological order
1. Black Friday (Anurag Kashyap, 2004)
When it comes to crime thrillers, Anurag Kashyap is a “go-to” name. While most of his filmography will satisfy the genre aficionados, one of his earlier movies, almost two-decades-old “Black Friday”, deserves special attention. Its strength comes from the intensity and authenticity of the story, based on real-life events that shook Mumbai and India in 1993, and lead to disastrous communal violence – a series of 12 bomb blasts architected by mobsters. The script based on an investigation book by Hussain Zaidi, “Black Friday: The True Story of the Bombay Bomb Blasts”, with documentary-like accuracy takes the viewer right inside the world of dirty politics, power schemes, and arduousness of police proceedings. (Joanna Kończak)
2. Maqbool (Vishal Bhardwaj, 2004)
Vishal Bhardwaj is not only a talented director but also a screenwriter, producer, music composer, and playback singer. True renaissance man. This versatility is obvious in „Maqbool” – a creative adaptation of Shakespeare's “Macbeth”, taking the centuries-old plot into Mumbai's underworld. Instead of kings, we have mob dons. A universal story of the obsession of power and ambitions leading to a fall, crafted into a fascinating combo of a dark thriller and a satire. A fantastic ensemble cast is the icing on a cake – with Irrfan Khan being the counterpart of Macbeth, Tabu – as his lady love, Pankaj Kapur – instead of Duncan, and last but not least Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah as two cops replacing infamous three witches. (Joanna Kończak)
3. The Stoneman Murders (Manish Gupta, 2009)
Writer-director Manish Gupta does a good job in telling the story, which has a very realistic touch, but I'll put that credit mostly to the actors rather than the screenplay. Despite being a murder mystery, Gupta avoids gore and bloodshed, and that is not much appealing to me. Gore is important when the story itself is gory. Gore can be an aesthetic if handled aesthetically. The cinematography of the movie is quite good. Glimpses of urban study can be seen. How an area turns creepy under the shady gloom of sodium vapour lamp can be seen in the movie. Cinematographer turned Mumbai and its alleys sinister, to boast some high-tension night time moments. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
4. Gangs of Wasseypur (Anurag Kashyap, 2012)
In a true one man show, Anurag Kashyap, co-wrote, produced and directed the film, in a style that is much reminiscent of early Guy Ritchie films (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch) both in context, with the mafia, and technically, since the film uses extensively slow and stop motion, close cut editing, quick, explanatory flashbacks and great mixture of image and music. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
5. Drishyam (Jeethu Joseph, 2013)
It was the first Malayalam movie to join the “50 crores” rupees club (earnings in box office, around 6.6 million USD ) – which for this small Keralan industry is quite an achievement. Commercial success was accompanied by critical acclaim. The movie starts as a slow-burning family drama, to change into a full-fledged thriller with engaging plot twists and skilfully-built suspense. Creators use familiar tropes (e.g. of a common man who suddenly is thrown into a scheme beyond his comfort zone and can't find justice within the system or of a loyal family sticking together no matter what), but play them skillfully. A well-crafted script poses a question of how far one can go to protect their family. A Malayali cinema legend Mohanlal in the lead role is a treat to watch and Asha Sarath as a steel-willed female police inspector gives a fantastic, stereotypes-breaking performance. (Joanna Kończak)
6. Jigarthanda (Karthik Subbaraj, 2014)
Made with nerve and wit, it nicely crafts the idea of dangerous liaisons between the movie industry and underworld… and of course – cinema and real life. It tells the story of an aspiring director (Siddarth), who puts himself in all sorts of trouble getting in touch with a shady world while researching for the script of a gangster movie. Well-shot, well-edited, blending conventions of con movie with dark humor, filled with hilariously eccentric plot twists, this Tamil spoof on crime thriller remains a breath of fresh air even so long after release. (Joanna Kończak)
7. Guilty (Meghna Gulzar, 2015)
Meghna Gulzar follows an approach that seems Rashomon-esque, but as the movie progresses, her true intent, of making a number of sociopolitical comments, is revealed gradually. In that regard, the role the press and public opinion play is criticized quite harshly, since they are presented as the driving force of even official legal decisions. The main critique, however, is directed towards every level of the police force. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
8. Vikram Vedha (2017, Tamil, dir. Pushkar& Gayathri)
Well-crafted Tamil thriller, based on the all-time favorite scheme of a duel between a wanted gangster (Vijay Sethupati) and a ruthless cop (Madhavan). But it won't be a black and white story as the line between good and evil is blurred and subjective. The directors' duo questions the criminal justice system, the values of society, and points the corruption. Well filmed and edited, with great songs and background score, it is a great entertainer. Narration shifting between the two points of view, and the terrific cast makes the choice “who to root for” extremely difficult. (Joanna Kończak)
9. Gurgaon (Shanker Raman, 2017)
Shanker Raman directs a film that revolves, mainly, around a single concept: violence. Violence seems to be everywhere in the movie, in the house among the family members, in the streets of the city, the clubs, the roads and the tollbooths, practically everywhere. Violence is also the force that has shaped the characters in the story and their relationships. And although in the beginning of the film, the main source of violence seems to be Nikki, as Raman shows Kehri's past through flashbacks,, is becomes evident that the son is the reap product of the violence his father sowed in the past. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
10. Angamaly Diaries (Lijo Jose Pellisery , 2017)
“Angamaly Diaries” delves into how and why these local gangs are formed and the rivalries come into place for no apparent reason other than toxic masculine ego and the disregard for authorities to an extent. As the film progresses, we see that the characters are not of the type to serve revenge cold, but acts in accordance with the passion of the moment only and are ready to forget the past for a better future. Whatever acts they do, ultimately they are ordinary people who want a peaceful life, however, their pride mostly becomes an obstacle to that goal. (Jithin Mohan)
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