The Story
Set in the pre-Independence era, Captain Miller is based in a small town in Tamil Nadu where the Koranar deity has been protecting the local tribes for over 600 years. There is a caste struggle between the villagers, as locals from lower castes are denied entry into the temple, despite their contributions to the building. This annoys our hero Analeesan, aka Eesa(played by Dhanush) who decides to join the British army and earn respect.
The deity is kept with the local king, away from the temple and the villagers. When the Britishers come to know about its powers, they decide to take it back to England and impress their king. It is reluctantly handed over. However, Eesa, now Captain Miller, is secretly hired by the local king, to bring the deity back in promise of equal rights to all castes
The Review
The trailer for Captain Miller took the internet by storm. Audiences rooted for director Arun Matheswaran and his high-voltage action scenes with clean cinematography. So did the movie deliver? Mostly yes. The intense action never felt over the top and was flawless. The killings, bombings, and shootings looked realistic throughout. However, the story could’ve been arranged better.
Captain Miller is not just a film about the freedom struggle. It represents the class struggle between the commoners and the oppressors who were Indians but pledged allegiance to the British. The film revolves around Dhanush, who we see in three different avatars. His transition from a naive villager to a fierce, remorseless killer was smooth and executed perfectly. The character also had a back story which helped me root for the hero, but it stretched the movie at some points.
Other characters, Velmathi(Priyanka Mohan), Captain Rafeeq(Sandip Kishan), and Sengannan(Shiva Rajkumar) supported the plot well. However, they lacked any past and were difficult to connect with. The movie demanded a top-class background score and GV Prakash does not disappoint. Every beat and drop felt thoughtful and intentional, elevating all the action scenes.
What Works for Captain Miller?
High-intensity action sequences executed perfectly are the USP of this film. The background score is one of the best I’ve experienced this year. The cinematography is also clean which was evident in the trailer itself. Dhanush weaves his magic one more time, effortlessly pulling all the roles assigned to him. The climax has a grand action sequence one shouldn’t miss!
All-in-All
Captain Miller is a great action movie with decent performances by everyone. The story is unnecessarily long but it’s fair being the first film of a trilogy. The narration is non-linear, breaking the story into multiple parts, but works out perfectly till the climax. It is a must-watch for all the action lovers & Dhanush fans.