Beast (2022) Review: Star Swagger Over Siege Logic

Is Beast worth watching?

It depends on why you are watching. Beast is a slick showcase for Vijay’s screen persona and a disappointing hostage thriller, so fans will get their money’s worth while everyone else may drift. Nelson Dilipkumar brings flashes of his offbeat, deadpan humour, and a few action sequences are staged with real flair. But the siege never generates genuine tension, because the film treats its hero as invincible from the first scene and its villains as props.

What is Beast about?

Beast stars Vijay as Veera Raghavan, a former officer of India’s RAW intelligence agency who has left the service after a mission that cost him dearly. He is trying to live quietly when he finds himself inside a busy Chennai shopping mall just as it is seized by armed terrorists, who take the shoppers hostage.

The attackers want the government to release a feared militant leader, and Veera, stuck among the hostages, decides to stop them from the inside while officials outside argue about whether to give in. Pooja Hegde plays the woman in Veera’s life, and the director Selvaraghavan appears as the official handling the crisis from outside, with Yogi Babu and Redin Kingsley among the comic supporting cast.

Nelson directs a Tamil production that runs 155 minutes, with songs by Anirudh Ravichander.

Vijay carries the whole building

The film’s single real asset is its star. Vijay plays Veera with a relaxed, faintly amused cool, and he is fun to watch as he strolls through the mall picking off attackers while barely raising his voice. The film is built for fan moments: slow-motion entrances, one-liners and fight choreography that shows off his agility.

Some of those moments work very well. A few of the mall set pieces use escalators, atriums and shop fronts inventively, and the action has a polished, glossy look. Anirudh Ravichander’s music is a major draw, and the big dance number became a hit in its own right. As a star vehicle, the film delivers what it promises.

Nelson’s humour fights the premise

Nelson made his name with darkly comic films, and his sensibility surfaces here in odd, deadpan beats: hostages behaving absurdly, officials bickering, gags that deflate the tension on purpose. Some of these jokes are genuinely funny, and they give the film a slightly eccentric texture that sets it apart from more straightforward action entertainers.

The problem is that comedy and siege thriller pull in opposite directions. A hostage story needs fear, and Beast rarely lets the audience feel that anyone is in danger. The terrorists are generic and interchangeable, the mall’s geography is never clear enough to create suspense, and the political backdrop is handled so broadly that it adds noise rather than weight.

Where the plot runs out

At 155 minutes, the film is far longer than its story. The opening romance with Pooja Hegde is flimsy and exists mainly to set up songs, and she is given little to do once the siege begins. The final act reaches for a far bigger, more implausible escalation, trading the confined premise’s one strength for spectacle that feels weightless. By the end, even sympathetic viewers may feel they have watched a collection of star moments rather than a thriller.

Who should watch Beast?

This is primarily for Vijay’s fans, who will enjoy his screen presence, the songs and the stylised action, and for viewers who like Tamil star vehicles for their own sake. Those looking for a gripping hostage film will be better served elsewhere. Budget more than two and a half hours. The violence includes gunfights and killings, mostly stylised, with some tense hostage scenes, so it suits teenagers and adults.

Better options from the same shelf:

• Jailer, Nelson’s next film, which blends his deadpan humour with star-driven action far more successfully.
• Master, a Vijay action film with a stronger villain and a sturdier story.

The verdict

Beast is a showcase for Vijay’s charm and a few well-staged action beats, dressed up with Nelson’s deadpan comedy and Anirudh’s music. But as a hostage thriller it lacks tension, credible villains and a coherent final act, so it works only for viewers who come specifically for the star.

Rating: 3/5