Joseph (2018)

“Joseph”, played too convincingly by Joju George is yet another gem from the Malayalam movie industry.

The protagonist is a retired police officer who’s often called to the crime scenes by his former superiors due to his uncanny ability to spot even the faintest of clues. In a way, he’s the local Sherlock Holmes, and he doesn’t miss much; evident from the fact that he solves the crime within a few hours after he was called to the scene.

We also see that he’s a lonely man who smokes, drinks and keeps a company of 4-5 other people who are all from the law-enforcement agency.

As the story unfolds, we learn more about Joseph’s past: that he had a family once, his joy on becoming a parent, the love he had for his wife and daughter, and the reason why everything fell apart. These revelations come as a flashback after Joseph learns about his ex-wife’s accident. And it doesn’t take long for him to figure out that the so-called “accident” was, in fact, a premeditated murder. The investigation that follows, conducted by Joseph and his friends forms the crux of the story as it finally leads to a memorable climax.

Joseph is one of those movies that is grounded in reality and doesn’t overpower its protagonist to beat up over a hundred people at a time with the bad guys flying left and right after a single punch.

Kudos to the entire team for a tight script topped off with excellent direction and brilliant acting by the lead.

Review by ashil-john