Japan Review: Karthi does his best to save this shoddy action comedy but fails

Karthi, who was last seen in Mani Ratnam’s magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan, has emerged as one of the most promising Tamil actors in recent times. Meanwhile, director Raju Murugan has made some acclaimed films in the past, like Joker and Cuckoo. Joker, in particular, received a lot of praise for its socio-political narrative and the use of satire and tonal shifts to tell a relevant story. Despite the fast-paced, mainstream trailer that the Japan makers released, one expected something clever and ingenious with their latest film. 

Hot Take

The plot of Japan kicks off when a high-end jewellery shop is robbed. The looters walk away with Rs 200 crore. However, the stakes get higher when the investigation reveals the involvement of political big-wigs in the heist. As the police begin their investigation, all fingers point to Japan (Karthi) the notorious gold-robber in the country. 

Does Japan live up to the hype?

There were a lot of hopes from Japan, both after its flashy, exciting trailer and the promising actor-director duo who have separately delivered some genuinely good work in the past. However, Japan turns out to an underwhelming watch.

Standalone set pieces work better

As the narrative unfolds, following both the police investigation and the topsy-turvy journey of Japan, who has just learned of something significant, there are many impressive elements in the first half of the film. Be it the elaborate spoofy action sequence featuring Karthi in his two avatars or the confusion around three state police departments fighting their own little battles, Japan keeps us amused. 

We also get the sequence capturing Japan’s philanthropist shenanigans in a drunken state. Even the way the film goes back to the sweeper’s backstory, seamlessly integrating a sentimental sidetrack into a larky action-comedy work effectively. Japan’s god-fearing man-friday too makes hilarious interjections in that one graveyard stand-off. And Japan works well as long as it’s content with banking on these set-pieces.

It’s only when Japan tries to be cohesive and derive some sense of poetry from all its chaos that it falters - and a large portion of Japan is just that. One misstep after the other until the film finds itself completely derailed.

Japan completely details in the second half 

Sanju’s character (played by Anu Emmanuel) is established with great intrigue, as we see hear stories about her from Japan who strays around in a caravan hoping to meet her again. We keep looking forward to the big pay-off, the significant way in which Japan’s relationship with Sanju leads to a shift in his arc or the narrative itself. However, Japan’s narrative abruptly drops off Sanju’s character, returning to the heist investigation, making the entire detour around Japan’s romantic obsession seem futile. It’s this exact lack of congruency that Japan lacks. Despite an occasional joke or two landing well, it falters in the second half.

There is a little too much happening, which is not necessarily a flaw, but Japan refuses to settle with a tone. There is a difference between being chaotic and being all over the place - Japan never lands on the pleasant side of the spectrum.

The last interesting thing that happens in the film is when Japan suspects a conspiracy theory by someone close. Once the narrative makes clear the identity of the conspirator, there is nothing much left in the film to keep us hooked. The film only returns with some promise in its final act when we see Japan (Karthi) and the scapegoat character sitting beside each other, not knowing where they will be in a few hours. There was clearly an intent of connecting the lives of two flawed men who wanted to redeem themselves in some manner, both having wronged the most important women in their lives. 

Karthi is the film’s biggest strength

Amidst all the unravelling and confused tonality, one thing is clear - Japan needed an actor who is starry, and yet lightweight enough to be able to not take himself too seriously. Karthi perfectly fits the bill and carries even the film’s most dicey bits with ease. It’s his presence that helps the film the most. he makes it watchable and even savages it in its weakest moments. 

Watch it or skip it?

Karthi is the best thing about Japan. Thankfully, the film has a lot of him - and yet, sadly, not enough to make it an enjoyable watch. 

Bottomline

Despite a few engaging and amusing bits, Japan really struggles to hold it together. Unless you are a die-hard Karthi fan, it would be hard to watch the film without flinching in your seat. 

Rating - 2/5 stars