Mission- Chapter I: This predictable action flick is a one-time watch

Cast: Arun Vijay, Amy Jackson, Nimisha Sajayan, Abi Hassan, Bharat Bopanna, Iyal and Jason Shah

Director: Vijay

Music director: GV Prakash Kumar

Synopsis: A man takes off to London for his daughter’s surgery but gets imprisoned for no fault of his. Meanwhile, he also encounters unfinished tasks from the past

Rating- 2.5/5

Arun Vijay has been climbing up the ladder with each of his films. Thanks to the choice of his scripts and directors. His combination with director Vijay stirred expectations for Mission-Chapter I. Vijay too is back after pan-Indian flick Thalaivii. With all right ingredients in place has Vijay delivered the right feast for Pongal?

Director Vijay wastes no time in setting up the premise of the film. The story begins in Kashmir where terrorists are planning an attack on India during the G20 summit and name it Operation Dussehra. They flee to the United Kingdom upon police discovering their attack. The leader of the gang, Omar (Bharat Bopanna), plans the operation from London, while the story now travels to Coimbatore.

Gunasekaran (Arun Vijay) is making arrangements to leave for London for his daughter Sana's (Iyal) surgery and transfers Rs 30 lakh as hawala transaction, which he could collect in London in return for a Rs 10 note. While it is common for all action films to go all guns blazing, Mission-Chapter I doesn't fall into that stereotype. Vijay sets up the characters and the story well before all hell breaks loose. The story is highly predictable with each passing scene and as Gunasekaran admits his daughter to a London hospital, the film picks up pace. He is arrested and is jailed in Wandsworth prison, which is where the plot unfolds. The makers’ recreation of the London prison in worth mentioning. Guna begins to encounter characters from his past and he is now stuck in between saving his daughter and letting notorious criminals out of prison.

The second half opens with a quick flashback of Gunasekaran as Sandra James (Amy Jackson) is all ears. In this comeback film of hers, she has made the effort to dub her lines in Tamil, which is commendable. Arun Vijay unleashes his action avatar in the second half and shows us why he is best suited for the role. Amy too gets into fight mode and is impressive. Abi Hassan is a surprise package as Paramveer Singh and it is high time he signed bigger roles for the talent he has in him. Though GV Prakash doesn't make an on screen appearance, his music makes his presence felt with each scene.

However, Mission- Chapter I has its own share of flaws as well. The film shies away from logic, which is a huge put off. There are several logical loopholes and some are even laugh-worthy such as the hospital scene in which Jamaal looks for Sana. Even in the first half, some fights look forced. A stronger villain makes for a strong hero and better film. Bharat Bopanna with his chocolate boy looks doesn't quite give us the villain vibes. Overall, Mission: Chapter 1 is for pure Tamil cinema lovers, who don't mind watching a film sans logic and are action lovers.