Film

Vikram

Name: Vikram
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Released: 2022
Cast: Kamal Haasan, Fahadh Faasil, Vijay Sethupathi, Suriya, Narain

Vikram is a fiercely stylish Tamil action-thriller that spirals from a murder investigation into something far more baroque and lethal. Director Lokesh Kanagaraj orchestrates an ensemble of Tamil cinema's finest in a film that moves like a fever dream of violence and betrayal. It's for people who want their action cinema smart, muscular, and willing to hold its shape even when the plot gets delirious.

TMDb rating

3.8

If you liked this

Thupparivaalan2017

Vijay Sethupathi as a Sherlock Holmes figure solving impossible crimes with surgical precision. Cerebral, darkly funny, and proof that Sethupathi can carry a film on charisma alone. A spiritual cousin to Vikram's obsessive detective work.

But The pacing occasionally stalls when it indulges in method-of-murder explanations. Some find it overly clever for its own good.

Kumbalangi Nights2019

Fahadh Faasil in a restrained, deeply human performance about small-town masculinity and fractured brotherhood. A Malayalam film that understands how violence lives in quiet spaces before it explodes.

But It's a character study masquerading as a thriller. If you came for action, you'll find long stretches of domestic awkwardness.

Arjun Reddy2017

Raw, operatic self-destruction with Vijay Sethupathi's co-star showing what happens when a man's rage becomes indistinguishable from love. Visceral and uncompromising in ways most mainstream films won't risk.

But The protagonist is repugnant and stays that way. The film finds him fascinating rather than forgivable, which won't work for everyone.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Vikram

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Memories of Murder2003

Both films follow investigators descending into a world where violence has its own logic and corruption isn't a bug but the operating system. The mystery matters less than what it reveals about the men pursuing it.

Bong Joon-ho's masterpiece about two detectives pursuing a serial killer in 1980s South Korea. It has the same obsessive investigation, baroque violence, and moral ambiguity as Vikram, but with the formal brilliance of a director working at the height of his powers. Every frame is composed like architecture.

But It's a slow burn that withholds satisfaction. Audiences expecting neat resolution will leave frustrated—there is none.

Master2021

Vijay Sethupathi anchors another high-voltage cat-and-mouse film about corruption and violence in south India. The chemistry between leads is electric, and it moves at a clip that never lets up.

But The plot is essentially revenge-thriller scaffolding. If you need narrative innovation along with action, you'll find it thin.

Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 12012

An Indian crime epic that sprawls across decades with the kind of operatic violence and family betrayals that Vikram echoes. Manoj Bajpayee gives one of Indian cinema's greatest performances in a story that refuses to let anyone off easy.

But It's a 5-hour two-part saga told in Hindi, and the first half is slower than the second. Subtitles, sprawl, and a body count that climbs gradually.

Drishyam2015

Ajay Devgn as a man who watches films religiously and uses that knowledge to outsmart a murder investigation. Cerebral thriller that trusts the audience to follow a plot that doubles back on itself brilliantly.

But The setup is contrived and asks you to swallow a lot. Some find it so mechanically plotted that character feels secondary.

Andhadhun2018

A blind pianist becomes entangled in a murder he didn't witness but can't help solving. It's endlessly inventive, darkly funny, and structured like a puzzle box that keeps opening in new directions.

But The tone shifts from thriller to black comedy to romance unpredictably. Audiences expecting consistency will find it frustrating.

Nayakan1987

A Tamil film that basically invented the underworld crime saga as we know it. Kamal Haasan in his absolute prime, playing a don whose rise and fall has operatic weight. Essential viewing for understanding where Vikram's DNA comes from.

But It's nearly 3 hours, and the pacing is 1987—meaning long scenes that build mood rather than speed. Black and white prints can be hard to find in good condition.

Godless2017

Like Vikram, it's interested in how violence between groups perpetuates across generations and how everyone—hero and villain—becomes corrupted by the logic of war. Both films understand that the real damage is moral, not physical.

A western miniseries where a town run by women must contend with an outlaw gang led by Jeff Daniels. It has Vikram's operatic violence and ensemble cast all orbiting a central conflict with no easy sides. The action is precise and brutal, the character work substantial.

But It's only one season and it ends on a note of ambiguous survival rather than triumph. The pacing occasionally luxuriates in dialogue when you want forward momentum.

Blade Runner 20492017

Both films use a detective's investigation as the spine for exploring identity, mortality, and what it means to be designed for violence. The mystery is almost incidental to what the search reveals about the searcher.

Denis Villeneuve directing Ryan Gosling through a neo-noir investigation that's mostly visual and mood. If you loved Vikram's command of frame and its willingness to let violence breathe, this shows what the same sensibility looks like in science fiction—slower, more meditative, but equally obsessive.

But It's deliberate to the point of glacial. Nothing rushes. If you need plot momentum over atmosphere, you'll find it exhaustingly patient.