12th Man

Jeethu Joseph's 2022 Malayalam film follows eleven friends who go to a resort for a bachelor party. The day ends in a death and everyone in the group becomes a suspect, with a figure referred to as the twelfth man running the investigation. The story uses the classic closed mystery structure in a single location. Mohanlal's role is left unclear until the second half, which is the structure's best decision. Jeethu Joseph is known for Drishyam, and here too he places the clues honestly. Its weakness is that most of the eleven characters are not sufficiently distinguished and that the explanation in the final section runs very long. That it was made during the pandemic partly explains the single-location choice. Who it's for: viewers who like Malayalam mystery thrillers and closed-room detective stories. Who it's not for: anyone wanting character depth, or who will find long explanatory sections wearing.