Watchman movie review: A disjointed thriller that suffers from an identity crisis

Bala (GV Prakash Kumar) is in need of money for his engagement. At the same time, he is answerable to a couple of money-lenders. What does Bala do? He decides to loot, and steps into a bungalow, thinking there is nobody inside. To his shock, he finds a dog that ‘follows’ him. Then, a series of incidents happen, which unfolds through a non-linear narration, led by poor writing.

The film runs for about 90 minutes, and that is the only saving grace. Vijay spends so much time in establishing the mood of the story. For example, more than 20 minutes is spent showing Bala breaking into the house. You get introduced to a retired cop, played by Suman, and a bunch of terrorists. (Oh, yes) After a point, it is easy to predict what’s going to happen. Soon, it gets boring. Yawn.

There are annoying timestamps that go back and forth and this confuses you even more. Samyuktha Hedge has a blink-and-miss appearance. And there is a joke on Yogi Babu’s appearance, yet again. The comedian has very little to do in the film. Maybe, the industry people think it is mandatory to have him in all films. That is why, I guess, for the sake of it, he is here too. Well, honestly, I don’t know.

Watchman was promoted as an edge-of-the-seat thriller. Hey, it was anything but. The thriller angle falls flat because it is not credible. Also, uneven writing doesn’t allow the infectious charm of Bruno to spread.