Rocky is an action film written and directed by Arun Matheswaran, produced by CR Manoj Kumar of RA Studios, and presented by Vignesh Shivan and Nayanthara under the banner Rowdy Pictures. It has Vasanth Ravi and Bharathiraja in the lead roles while Raveena Ravi, Rohini, Rishikanth and others play crucial supporting roles. It has music by Darbuka Siva, and cinematography by Shreyaas Krishna.
Rocky (played by Vasanth Ravi) is just out of prison after 17 years, and is in search of his sister Amudha. His mother has been killed, and he doubts Manimaaran (played by Bharathiraja) has something to do with his missing sister. Does he find her, or what else does life have in store for Rocky, and how his violent past haunts him forms the rest of the story.
The film's plot is quite easy to perceive. Calling it wafer thin would be a crime. It is dense, but simple. But the making, craft, performances, screenplay and edit pattern makes us wonder what a beautiful art filmmaking is. Because if someone narrates to you the story of Rocky, it would hardly cross 3 lines. A man loses everything dear to him, except one person. She is his last ray of hope. He fights the entire world for her... all this sounds so normal. But when the visuals and sounds set in, the experience becomes something bigger.
The biggest strength of the film, on the surface, are the performances. The intensity in the violent scenes shown by Vasanth Ravi is tremendous. We would have heard of the phrase - 'calm before the storm'. I don't know if this would fit any other actor better. When a supporting character calls him a 'kozhandha moonji', we feel like it fits. But scenes later, he is someone who rips apart the intestines of another character and garlands it over that character's neck. And the film doesn't shy away from showing this, and at the same time, this isn't voyeuristic. There is a fine line between aesthetics and voyeurism, and the film knows it very well.
On the other hand, Bharathiraja, Rishikanth, and the actors in Manimaran's gang play the perfect foil. There is hardly any actor who goes off the metre. Rishikanth's character especially reminds us of lyricist Kaber Vasuki's independent song 'Maanda Mannan Kaaviyam' which is ideally about a prince who wants his father's throne without much effort. Though all these details are buried deep, the film works even if you consume it on the surface level.
It is a brilliant decision to make the film in a non-linear manner and dividing the story into 5 parts with interesting titles - 'Un Amma unna yen peththa theriyuma?', 'Ketta Kadavul Nalla Saathan', 'Naatukku Pogalam', 'Oru Kazhugu 100 Mugam', and finally 'Seedless Dates'. The film's engagement factor is boosted because of this, and the 2 hours 9 minute duration also seems perfect. Director Arun Matheswaran is an erstwhile associate of Thiagarajan Kumararaja. The latter is known for the philosophy behind his films. For instance, Aaranya Kaandam had - 'Ethu Dharmam? Edhu Thevaiyo, Adhuve Dharmam' as it's base. Similarly, in Rocky, Arun poses us the God Paradox riddle - Can god create something that is heavy even for him to carry?
The film is novel in the way it is shot and edited. Taking the sensibilities of European Cinema and fitting it into Tamil Cinema is something we've never seen before. All this reflects the confidence the filmmaker has on his script and crew. And it is presented without any double mindedness. Shreyaas Krishna's usage of lights, especially in the construction building fight sequence is commendable. Stunt Choreographer Dinesh Subburayan also needs to be appreciated for his innovation and style in the fight sequences. They look as real as possible.
Darbuka Siva's music and sound design merge at some point, and paint a picture on their own. They are given a spine through the lyrics of Kaber Vasuki, Vairamuthu and Madhan Karky, which look more like poems running in the background. And this makes sense because the film itself has violence portrayed in a poetic way. Overall, the film is not for the weak hearts since full advantage of the 'A' certificate is taken. It picturizes the carnal nature of humans and to what extent they can go when they have nothing to lose. It doesn't hold back on the violence and there is blood everywhere. Some of it seeps into the verdict as well, making it a bloody brilliant film that's not made for everyone.