‘Leo: Bloody Sweet’ Review: Over-the-Top Indian Blockbuster Adds Vijay Mystery Character to Lokesh Cinematic Universe

Peter Debruge
·3 min read
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With “Leo,” Indian director Lokesh Kanagaraj adds another “badass” to the growing network of formidable action heroes he calls the “Lokesh Cinematic Universe.” How do we know this guy’s a badass? Because the Tamil film’s techno soundtrack tells us so, chanting “Leo Das is a badass!” before even establishing who Leo Das is. By this time, the character in question has already wrestled a wild hyena into submission with his bare hands. He goes by the name Parthiban, not Leo Das, but signs are clear that he knows how to punch, kick and shoot his way out of a jam.

“Badass” is one of those out-of-touch grandpa words: a stock description of septuagenarian tough guys like Liam Neeson and Samuel L. Jackson whose violent deeds seem to clash with their surface appearance. It doesn’t usually apply to nepo villains like Leo, who’s more of a flash-mobster than an actual gangster, at least according to the 1999-set dance number that shows a young Leo leading a factory full of henchmen through a series of synchronized steps (practically all the backstory this shady character gets).

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For his part, stocky “Leo” star Thalapathy Vijay, who plays Parthiban, looks more jovial than deadly — hardly your typical action star. The proprietor of a trendy chocolate-and-coffee shop in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh, Parthiban is a pacifist family man who spends his spare time saving wild animals. When ranger friend Joshi (Gautham Vasudev Menon) calls looking for help with a vicious hyena on the rampage, Parthiban doesn’t hesitate to risk his life — which makes for a spectacular opening sequence, despite its so-so visual effects. (Like Vijay’s fighting, the movie’s CGI isn’t exactly convincing, but good enough to convey what Kanagaraj is going for.)

Parthiban saves the beast, but shows less mercy when a group of criminals threaten his daughter a few scenes later. His overreaction lands him on trial for murder. While Parthiban attempts to convince an Indian judge that he was acting in self-defense, the dead goons’ relatives come looking for vengeance, attacking his family in an open-air market. Cue another splashy showdown, this one featuring hammers, rakes and shovels as improvised weapons.

Just before the nearly-three-hour film hits intermission, Parthiban’s heroic feats attract the attention of drug dealer Antony Das (Sanjay Dutt) and his brother Harold (Arjun Sarja), who start to wonder whether this familiar-looking action figure might be their renegade heir Leo, a very bad dude who’s been presumed dead for decades. Kanagaraj doesn’t settle this identity question until the very end, preferring to keep audiences guessing with seemingly contradictory clues — though it’s hard to reconcile just how lethal he can be when crossed (as in a long sequence spent making a sword by hand!).

While not as consistently entertaining as last year’s “Vikram,” Netflix-bound “Leo” packs enough corny-but-satisfying spectacle to have fueled a $31.2 million worldwide opening weekend. Kanagaraj hails from the Michael Bay school of excess, using dramatic camera moves (like the oft-repeated trick where he pushes in on a character’s back as that person turns to glower toward the audience) and clever cutting to give the entire feature the energy typically reserved for a 2½-minute trailer.

That’s a fitting vibe for the project, considering that, along with “Leo” joins “Kaithi” and “Vikram” in potentially setting up an “Expendables”-style group effort down the road (we can hope, at least). Not only does this entry — which stands just fine on its own — make reference to elements from those earlier LCU entries (such as George Maryan, who plays lone-good-cop Napoleon), but it ends with the promise that whether or not Parthiban is Leo, he’s a promising candidate to squash the drug problem that guy helped ignite.

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