'Patriot' Movie Review: A Darkly Comedic Spy Thriller

The plot kicks off with Dr. Daniel James (Mammootty), a Malayali Data Research and Analysis Wing (DRAW) analyst based in Delhi. Daniel stumbles upon evidence of a regional Kerala politician - J.P. Sundaram (Rajiv Menon) - using illegal spyware to surveil rivals, journalists, and even his own party members. When Daniel tries to expose the scam through official channels, he is framed for espionage and forced to flee. On the run, he adopts a vlogger persona, Shakthi Sundaram (played by Fahadh Faasil in a dual role twist that feels part of the conspiracy), to broadcast his findings to the public. Meanwhile, Colonel Rahim Naik (Mohanlal), a pragmatic military intelligence officer, is tasked with tracking him down, while fiery advocate Lathika (Nayanthara) takes up his case. The film unfurls across multiple timelines and perspectives, weaving in Kerala’s Chief Minister Nalini Ramakrishnan (Revathi) and a journalist, Ayisha Iqbal (Zarin Shihab), as the net tightens.

Mahesh Narayanan, known for his layered storytelling in “Take Off” and “Malik,” doesn’t shy away from complexity here. He constructs a narrative that zigzags between Daniel’s past in Delhi and his present as an underground content creator, using vlog-style sequences to inject a modern, almost documentary-like urgency. The first hour is a taut, paranoid thriller: the setup of the spyware scandal, the betrayal by J.P. Sundaram, and the stunning scene where Daniel watches his own reputation dissolve on prime-time news are gut-wrenchingly effective.

Yet, as the runtime stretches past the 150-minute mark, “Patriot” begins to show strain. The middle act, while packed with solid set-pieces - a chase through Kochi’s backwaters, a tense negotiation between Colonel Naik and Daniel - loses momentum with repetitive exposition. The vlogger device, initially clever, becomes a crutch for info-dumps. Fahadh Faasil’s dual role as Shakthi Sundaram (the vlogger alias) and his own shadowy counterpart is a bold gamble, but the reveal muddies the emotional core: we’re watching Dr. Daniel James, not Fahadh’s character, yet the screen time swings unevenly.

Performances, however, are the film’s lifeline. Mammootty delivers a coiled, weary intensity - his eyes carry the exhaustion of a man who trusted the system and lost. Mohanlal, as Colonel Rahim Naik, brings a quiet, moral ambiguity; his phone conversation with Daniel, where he says, “I’m not hunting you for the law, I’m hunting you because I have to choose a side,” is the script’s best-written moment. Nayanthara’s Lathika is fierce in the courtroom, though her arc feels truncated. Revathi, as the Chief Minister, commands every scene with icy pragmatism, and Rajiv Menon makes J.P. Sundaram a slimy, credible villain.

The action sequences are gritty, favoring close-quarters chaos over spectacle. A hotel corridor fight, shot in near-silence, earned genuine gasps at my screening. Cinematographer Rajeev Ravi captures Kerala’s green and grey with equal menace, and the score by Sushin Shyam pulses but doesn’t overpower.

Where “Patriot” falters is in its final forty minutes. The climax, a live vlog confrontation, tries to channel Aaron Sorkin-style rhetoric but feels rushed. The resolution hinges on a last-minute testimony that strains credulity, and a subplot involving Ayisha Iqbal’s investigation evaporates without payoff. The TMDb rating of 6.885/10 feels about right - commendable ambition, imperfect execution.

Pros

• Mammootty and Mohanlal deliver career-highlight performances, their screen chemistry electric even when they’re apart.
• The first act is gripping, with sharp commentary on surveillance and media complicity.
• Rajiv Menon’s villain is chillingly plausible, and Revathi holds her own as a conflicted CM.
• Sound design and cinematography immerse you in both the corridors of power and the grit of the streets.

Cons

• The 177-minute runtime is excessive; the middle drags with repetitive vlog sequences.
• The dual-role device involving Fahadh Faasil feels gimmicky and underdeveloped.
• Nayanthara’s lawyer character is underutilized after a promising introduction.
• The climax relies on convenient plot turns that undermine earlier realism.

“Patriot” is a film that wants to be many things - a whistleblower saga, a modern media critique, a character study, and an action-thriller - and it mostly succeeds on ambition alone. Yet, at 177 minutes, it demands a patience that not every viewer will offer. The performances, especially from Mammootty and Mohanlal, elevate the material beyond its structural flaws, and the core message about digital surveillance and political vendetta feels uncomfortably relevant. It’s not the taut classic Narayanan might have delivered with tighter editing, but it’s a worthy, often gripping conversation starter. If you can sit through the slow patches, you’ll leave with a lot to chew on - and with a lingering sense of paranoia about who’s watching you right now. Worth a binge on a long evening, but don’t say I didn’t warn you about the length.