Thupparivaalan

Kaniyan Poongundran is a private detective and bored; most of the work is following unfaithful spouses. A boy comes to his door and tells him his dog was killed. Kaniyan takes the case, and the dog's death opens quickly onto a chain of connected murders. An adversary as clever as he is appears. Written and directed by Mysskin, the film draws on Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. Kaniyan is named for a Sangam-era Tamil poet and has a Watson beside him: his friend and flatmate Manohar. Mysskin's known manner is present too: low angles, frames fixed on feet, and fights with visible choreography. Vishal plays Kaniyan and also produced. Prasanna plays Manohar and Vinay Rai the opposition. Who it's for: Viewers who like detective stories, Sherlock adaptations, and Mysskin's formal manner. Who it's not for: The violence is hard and some plot connections are forced. It also runs long, with the pace dropping in the second half.