I'm Game Movie Review:

I'm Game is essentially the story of two men. On one hand (pun intended), we have Dan John (Dulquer Salmaan), a compulsive gambler, and on the other, Vicky (Antony Varghese Pepe), a passionate cricketer. It so happens that their lives get 'accidentally' intertwined by a sheer twist of fate, leading to plenty of confusion, drama, realisation and eventually, resolution.

Nahas Hidhayath's story may not be entirely fresh, with many films in the past, including in Malayalam, exploring similar territories, but the material is still pulpy enough for a commercial potboiler. If you think of it, the director's debut, RDX, a smashing hit, also had a generic storyline, but the execution was right on the money for an action-heavy entertainer. With I'm Game, the young filmmaker aims really big. Bigger stars, better production values, broader themes, but the ambitious vision is spoilt by some mediocre writing and shoddy execution, resulting in a mishmash of a genre hybrid film that's stuck somewhere between a promising body-horror thriller and a template revenge drama.

Director: Nahas Hidhayath

Cast: Dulquer Salmaan, Antony Varghese Pepe, Mysskin, Kayadu Lohar, Samyuktha Viswanathan, Kathir

I'm Game's narrative has a peculiar fantasy element, which might sound ridiculous on the surface, but credit to the makers for being fully committed towards it. To be fair, the film has good fun with this idea initially. Dan's struggles to get used to his new health condition and his antics while dealing with losing bodily control heavily remind one of Kiccha Sudeep from Eega, but Dulquer pulls off these portions reasonably well. However, the novelty wears off after a point, leaving us wondering, "Okay now, can we move on?" Little do we realise that the worst is yet to come.

Dulquer, who returns to Malayalam after a significant gap, has bet big on I'm Game and one can clearly see why. The storyline isn't region-specific, making it an ideal fit for his pan-India vision. It reflects in the casting choices as well, with actors from different languages appearing even in minuscule roles. But this obsession for a 'wider appeal' seems to have come at the expense of basics such as a consistently engaging screenplay, well-rounded characters and emotional resonance. It's also unfortunate that the film fails to develop even its potent themes, like the consequences of betting, which are reduced to a passing line towards the end.

From a writing perspective, the film keeps it rather simple with its A-B-C structure. After we get an idea of Dan, his Daddy issues, wayward lifestyle and the inciting incident, we are kept waiting for the big backstory to unfurl. What ensues, however, is a flashback that's as generic as it can get, redeemed partly by the actors. Antony, on his part, looks and plays the part of a professional cricketer with utmost sincerity. His character is supposed to be the film's emotional anchor, but the writing fails to establish him beyond the regular rags-to-riches achiever with a conscience.

Mysskin is another interesting choice as the antagonist. Though he does all things nasty, there's a hilarity (largely intentional) to his performance that stems from his famed eccentricity. However, very little can be said of the other actors, especially the women. Villains harming the women to get back at the male protagonists is another tiring trope repeated here. Similarly, the romance track, if we can call that, between Dan and Kayadu Lohar's Isha exists just for the sake of it. At one point, we see her rejecting his proposal as she considers him only as a patient, but later on, we see her warming up to him seemingly out of sympathy.

Nahas' debut film RDX rode high on its emotionally-charged action setpieces, but in I'm Game, despite plenty of action happening, there's hardly a sequence that registers. Perhaps the one where Dan fights with one hand is an interesting concept, but a film of this scale desperately needed more of it. All the shootouts and fancy car chases are designed to trigger an adrenaline rush, but whether they they actually achieve that is debatable. That said, the film's production values stand out, with Jimshi Khalid's neon-lit frames and Ajayan Chalissery's production design convincingly transporting us into the opulent world of gambling.

At around 173 minutes, I'm Game is stretched beyond its limits, especially the flashback where the makers try hard to hammer home the emotions, albeit unsuccessfully. Jakes Bejoy's high decibel music only adds to the woes. It's particularly tiring when you have already been told the destination, yet it takes forever for the film to arrive there.

"Never give up," repeats the gambler in Dan throughout the film. But as a viewer, almost three hours of emptiness is a bit too much to not give up.