Disco movie review: Although director Khalid Rahman’s Thallumaala (2022) was mainly about the different kinds of brawls and featured highly stylised action sequences, that wasn’t all it was about. It also had an intriguing script that hooked us from start to finish. Its vibrant aesthetics and nonlinear narrative structure only made it more fascinating.One important thing Khalid ensured was that the film never devolved into mere bloodbaths. Now, imagine if Thallumaala was a bad film — just gory on the surface with a weak script and even weaker technical aspects… Well, that’s Ullas Chemban’s sophomore directorial venture Disco, in a way.Only in SCREEN | Many Ramayanas in Malayalam cinema: One would be banned today, one from Bharata’s POVA poor script overwhelmed by gory actionThis film has far too many characters, so I won’t go into the story in depth. In a seaside locality, the youngsters are mostly engaged in various kinds of criminal activities. There are two main gangs, led by Ousu (Dev Mohan) and Darling Marty (Lukman Avaran), and neither of them cares about their actions. After the release of Vediamo (Chemban Vinod Jose), a senior gangster, from prison, Ousu and Marty’s gangs join forces for a dangerously big mission that they believe will help them settle in their lives forever. However, in their pursuit, they lock horns with the ruthless Yoyaki (Antony Varghese Pepe), leading to a series of life-threatening problems for them. Disco is a poorly written, poorly made film that tests one’s patience. (Credit: Instagram/@chembosky.motionpictures)Disco is a poorly written, poorly made film that tests one’s patience. It seems like each scene was penned by a different person for different movies, and even its making appears far too pretentious, giving the impression that Ullas Chemban and his brother Chemban Vinod Jose, who also wrote the script, were trying too hard to make Disco look unique. And it is unique; I don’t think anyone else has made such an infuriating actioner in Malayalam cinema in recent times.Style over substanceHad it been the 2000s or early 2010s, Disco might have impressed more people with its “bold” scenes and the sheer amount of violence. But we are in 2026 now. Simply showing bloodbaths, men lacking any moral compass, and women swearing, smoking, or engaging in guilt-free sex, defying patriarchal norms, isn’t going to draw the masses in. These elements are there in almost every pan-Indian film that hits our screens. Filmmakers should realise that if their movie doesn’t have a USP beyond what’s readily available elsewhere, audiences will simply overlook it.Why should people spend money watching something that has only style when they can save their bucks and catch another film that offers both style and substance for the same amount? This is not a question for the audience but for filmmakers. I seriously think that it would be best if creators asked themselves, “Why should the audience watch this movie?” once in a while during production.Story continues below this adMost people would have decided to watch Disco because it is helmed by Ullas Chemban, who gave us the invigorating and unique Anchakkallakokkan (2024). However, all that made Anchakkallakokkan a fascinating watch is completely absent here, particularly an intriguing script. Disco simply offers a shameless and pointless romanticisation and aestheticisation of violence, making it appear as if crimes are cool — even if one ends up losing a couple of their loved ones in gang wars.Memories of Blunder | Sakthi: ‘A1 star’ NTR Jr’s masterclass in going from 0 aura points to -1,000 effortlesslyChemban Vinod’s screenplay not only lacks cohesion, but almost every scene feels half-baked, with sloppy dialogues. The writing is so bad that even when Ullas tries to create a visually massy moment, it falls flat because the script is hollow. As I mentioned before, the movie has far too many characters, and sadly, not a single one sticks with us, thanks in part to unimpressive performances. Disco includes quite a few scenes evidently crafted to deliver an adrenaline rush and elicit applause and whistles from the audience. But none of them has the impact or depth to demand such reactions.Marco’s long-lost cousinGiven the sheer number of gunshots, murders, bloodbaths, and even amputations, Disco feels like the long-lost cousin of director Haneef Adeni’s Marco (2024), but raised by Amal Neerad’s Bachelor Party (2012). While Marco was at least comical — remember the titular character taking a shower break and grooming himself before leaving for the climactic fight right after the villains massacred his entire family? — Disco is just irritating. And worse still, it lacks a compelling emotional core or comedic moments like Bachelor Party.Story continues below this ad The production design and costume design of Disco are impressive, and at times they give it a Peaky Blinders vibe, but these moments are rare. (Credit: Instagram/@chembosky.motionpictures)One can also sense that Ullas wanted Disco to be something along the lines of Fernando Meirelles’ City of God (2002), but let’s not go there.Alongside testing patience, Disco also tests the limits of our senses of sight and hearing. Almost as if he were desperately trying to justify his paycheck, composer Manikandan Ayyappa has inserted background music into every possible shot. However, the problem is that the music is often irritating and pretentious. Manikandan’s work impresses only in the track “Ithinno Aadame,” whose lyrics, penned by Suhail Koya and Lema, reflect the movie’s essence, in a way.While Armo’s cinematography and Rohit VS’ editing impress at times, they mostly disappoint, especially in the nerve-racking climax. In a bid to seem overly distinctive, Ullas and Armo have crafted a significant portion of the climax fight from a first-person perspective, reminiscent of video games. However, this approach not only fails to land, but the choreography is so sloppy that we struggle to tell who is getting beaten or dying, worsened by the bizarre lighting pattern. Ullas may have intended a sequence akin to those found in video games or anime actioners, but it ultimately falls short of the intended impact.If there’s anything as annoying as the movie’s soulless music and rhythm-less action choreography, it’s Antony Varghese’s English. It’s perfectly fine not to know English in real life; one’s pronunciation doesn’t have to match that of native speakers. However, when a significant part of your job as an actor involves delivering lines effectively, you must put in the effort required to master it. Otherwise, refrain from doing something you’re not comfortable with. Don’t expect the audience to overlook all your flaws, particularly when you haven’t put in the effort to fix them. Given that Yoyaki is as basic a villain as it can be, Antony Varghese’s unintentionally comical English lines only diminish the character further.Story continues below this adDon’t ask me what Arjun Ashokan and Vishnu Unnikrishnan were doing in this film; I don’t think even they have a clue.Don’t Miss | Scene movie review: A wild, funny, dark roller-coaster, starring a version of Suriya we all missedAV Gokuldas’ production design and Melwy J’s costume design are impressive, and at times they give Disco a Peaky Blinders (2013-2022) vibe, but these moments are rare.Disco movie cast: Dev, Lukman Avaran, Femina George, Meera Vasudevan, Chemban Vinod Jose, Antony Varghese, Arjun Ashokan, Vishnu UnnikrishnanDisco movie director: Ullas ChembanDisco movie rating: 1.5 stars