It is safe to say that the identity and motivations of the criminal that Circle Inspector John Luther is investigating is not something which would turn up in the wildest of our guesses. The motivation is so bizarre and convoluted that it almost threatens to derail all the painful work of scripting an intriguing investigation.
Debutant director Abhijith Joseph, who also scripted the film, does not tread new ground, but is sure of what he is doing. One gets that sense right from the arresting opening scene of a dead body landing with a thud on top of a bus which is snaking up a hairpin-filled highway on a rainy night. The mood, the setting and the measured arrival at the suspense during the end of the scene gives a clue of what lies ahead.
John Luther (Jayasurya), the titular character, has some vulnerabilities, but is sharp at his job of picking out clues where hardly any exist. He is not averse to taking risks, as evident from his sister’s album of polaroid photographs of John with his various injuries. Fully immersed in his job, he is absent from the family, even on the most important occasions. The dead body on top of the bus sets off an investigation, which would throw up more challenges as he moves ahead.
