Private eye Dominic, like all wannabe Sherlocks, has a habit of making quick deductions about other people just from their appearances. But, unlike in most other films, the protagonist of Gautham Vasudev Menon’s Dominic And The Ladies’ Purse gets it wrong in the opening sequence when he makes assumptions about a person aspiring to be his assistant. It is a delightful subversion of the overused detective trope, which fills one with hope for what is to follow.
Unfortunately, the film does not always live up to this early promise except in a few interesting patches. Gautam Menon, in his first Malayalam outing, appears to be in a bit of a dilemma as to how to treat the star at the centre of his film. While there are a few scenes lampooning the pompous private detective Dominic (Mammootty), there are an equal number of scenes of his assistant (Gokul Suresh) being amazed by his investigative abilities.
One thing that the screenwriters — Gautham Menon, Neeraj Rajan and Sooraj Rajan — get right is the characterisation of Dominic, a former police officer now running a private detective agency which takes up not so honourable cases for easy money. But the man is struggling to pay his rents, a fact which leads to the seemingly simple case of the ladies’ purse, which the landlady (Viji Venkatesh) entrusts him. Dominic’s quest for the purse’s owner and the way it slowly builds into a wider investigation with bigger stakes is quite an intriguing narrative, but the way it is approached on screen almost spoils it.
Weighing down the film is quite a lot of flab, from pointless song sequences, hints of a needless romance and clumsily staged fight sequences. The investigation proceeds at a languid pace, with the writers never attempting to land impactful punches in between. Only the unfolding mystery keeps the audience invested during the several dull stretches. The final revelation, despite being a bit problematic, salvages the film to an extent, but even this late push gets it only into the average territory.
More than the investigation part, what enlivens the film are the quirks of the character and some of the humour using deft references to yesteryear films. Often in recent films, such references have ended up as lazy attempts for applause, but here much of it fits the context, right from the password cracking sequence to the detective’s screenwriting attempts for a maker of popular thrillers.
Dominic And The Ladies’ Purse ends with the prospect of the detective taking up more such cases. Dominic is a character which holds immense possibilities, but he deserves a better-made film with less frills.
Dominic And The Ladies’ Purse is currently running in theatres
Published – January 23, 2025 05:21 pm IST
Malayalam
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Malayalam cinema
