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GOAT Movie Review: For fans of Thalapathy Vijay, who will buy a ticket to celebrate the ‘mass’ avatar of the actor, director Venkat Prabhu’s GOAT will be the perfect treat. But if you are looking to watch the iconic actor in a smarter and gripping film, then director Venkat Prabhu doesn’t quite hit the mark.
Using the trope of a bad guy-disguised-as a good guy which was similar to his film Mankatha, Venkat Prabhu features Vijay in dual roles – the father who is a raw agent and his rogue son.
The film tells the story of Gandhi (Vijay) , a member of the special anti-terrorist squad (SATS) who plans to recover stolen uranium from terrorists led by Omar and Menon (Mohan). Gandhi (Vijay) and his team members Kalyan (Prabhu Deva), Sunil (Prashanth), Sham (Ajay) return victorious. Gandhi's absence from his family, makes his wife (Sneha) suspicious of his activities.
To make things better, Gandhi takes his family on a vacation to Thailand. There, they are attacked by a gang leading to sequences which causes a rift in the happy family. Cut to today, Gandhi is separated from his wife. But terror strikes in form of Sanjay. Who is he and what he does to Gandhi’s family forms the rest of the story.
GOAT Movie Review: Technical
Going by what the makers have promised, the film uses considerable VFX and even the de-ageing technology, to render Vijay, much younger than his years, to play the character in his 20s and 40s. From the opening scene of the film which employs the late actor Vijayakanth's AI version to a motorcycle stunt scene – GOAT generously incorporates technology.
There’s a lot of action that features Gandhi Vs. Jeevan, in a compelling chase scene – until one begins to question the logic. Any expectation of a reality check is questionable after certified RAW agents forget to check the authenticity of an accident, or a simple background verification on the estranged son. The gore and violent scenes depicting children could have been avoided, especially since the film has secured a U/A certificate.
While the first half is mostly about Gandhi's story, the film jets off when the face-off between Gandhi and Sanjay begins. The problem with the film is that it’s not held together by a script that seldom rises above the predictable slashing and killing – making it predictable – and fairly long. While the idea to show Vijay in dual roles is inventive – the film could have had interesting cat-and-mouse scenes.
Venkat Prabhu provides fans reasons to cheer and hoot as he adds references to Vijay's previous films Ghilli and Thirumalai.
GOAT Movie Review: Performances
In terms of performances, Sneha performs her role with ease, however in the film it seems like she has come on sets straight from a saloon – with the perfect hair and makeup even in tragedy. Meenaakshi Chaudhary barely has anything to do. Prashanth, Prabhu Deva's scenes with Vijay are fun to watch.
Vijay shoulders dual roles with magnetism. The scene in which Jeevan convinces Srinidhi (Meenaakshi Chaudhary) to marry him is particularly amusing since it shows off his acting chops as the antagonist. If Gandhi's role as a dedicated and honest officer offers a sense of depth to the role, then his nemesis, Jeevan adds thrill and spark to the character. It looks like Vijay thoroughly enjoyed himself playing dual roles. Yuvan Shankar Raja's background score works better than the film's songs which appear at the drop of the hat.
GOAT Movie Review: Verdict
It's Vijay's impressive performance keeps the story moving but ultimately the exhausting length makes the film seem like an unending revenge saga.