The walk says everything. Mammootty and Mohanlal stride through their introductory sequences with the kind of mythic swagger that makes theatre audiences erupt, yet the moment passes without a single narrative hook to justify the thunder. This is the central paradox of Mahesh Narayanan’s Patriot: a film so obsessed with its own polish that it forgets to build a story worth polishing.
Mammootty and Mohanlal’s Shared Frame is the Real Event
Dr. Daniel James, played by Mammootty, carries the film’s moral gravity on his shoulders. His scenes with Mohanlal’s Colonel Rahim Naik are the only moments where Patriot feels genuinely alive, two titans calibrating their registers against each other.
Mammootty’s controlled stillness works; he underplays where the script overreaches. Mohanlal, in contrast, brings a soldier’s clipped efficiency. Their shared walk sequences became the film’s most discussed visual, and for good reason, it is the only time the craft and the stars align perfectly.
Mahesh Narayanan’s Direction Prioritises Presentation Over Plot
Narayanan stages large-scale ensemble confrontations with real confidence. The political-spy framing, featuring Revathy’s former Union Home Minister Nalini Ramakrishnan and Rajiv Menon’s JP Sundaram, suggests a filmmaker comfortable with institutional scale.
But the screenplay’s foundation crumbles under inspection. Critics have described the story as poorly conceived, and I can’t argue with that assessment. Style consistently outweighs narrative coherence, leaving a polished surface over a hollow centre.
Thriller Mechanics Take a Backseat to Star Worship
For a film categorised primarily as a thriller, Patriot spends remarkably little time building suspense. The intelligence-agency framing and political manoeuvring are present, but they function as set dressing rather than dramatic machinery. The antagonist, Fahadh Faasil’s Shakti Sundaram, is positioned prominently in the cast list, yet the available coverage suggests his menace never translates into actual tension on screen.
The most praised sequence, the stylish walk featuring the two leads, is telling. It is pure presentation, a cinematic fashion show with zero thriller mechanics attached. Compare this to Narayanan’s earlier work, where tension emerged from situation rather than silhouette, and the regression becomes obvious.
The ensemble confrontations substitute for genuine mystery. Instead of clues and reveals, we get star-powered standoffs that look impressive but advance nothing. The result is a thriller that never thrills, a drama that never deeply moves.
Fahadh Faasil and the Supporting Cast Deserve Better Material
Fahadh Faasil’s casting as the villain signals ambition. His ability to play slippery, intelligent menace is well established, and the film clearly intends Shakti Sundaram to be a worthy adversary for two legends. Yet the role, as documented, lacks the scene-level fireworks needed to make that rivalry sing.
Kunchacko Boban’s Michael Devassy, a former IAF officer cadet, is the kind of part that could have added texture. Revathy’s political heavyweight and Prakash Belawadi’s Sreedharan round out a cast that any director would kill for. Indrans as ASI Satheeshan suggests the film even has room for character colour. It is a embarrassment of riches deployed in service of a story that cannot support them.
The Censor Controversy and Pre-Release Baggage
The film reportedly faced censor limbo over a villain name resembling a politician’s son, leading to re-editing and resubmission. That pre-release turbulence may explain some of the disjointed storytelling, but it cannot excuse all of it.
Audience sentiment, where documented, centres on the pairing of Mammootty and Mohanlal and the film’s theatrical scale. For fans, the event value alone justifies the ticket. For everyone else, the narrative clarity issues remain a legitimate barrier.
If you want to see two of Malayalam cinema’s greatest actors share a frame with genuine dignity, Patriot delivers that specific pleasure. If you want a tightly written thriller with real stakes, this is not that film. The 3-hour runtime demands patience, and the payoff is mostly cosmetic. Watch it for the stars, in a regular theatre, with expectations firmly adjusted.
For more like this, browse our Malayalam Thriller reviews.
Patriot is a visually confident, narratively hollow spectacle that squanders an all-time cast, 2.5 out of 5, worth it only for the Mammootty-Mohanlal chemistry.
Fans of star-driven ensemble thrillers should also check out KD Devil review, which shares this film’s reliance on lead presence over plot depth.
For another take on a charismatic lead carrying a flawed script, Kara verdict offers a similar dynamic.
