The first 20 minutes of the film with a de-aged Kamal Haasan is very classy and it is stylish with the background score and cinematography. But it does not prepare you for the inconsistent, predictable and beaten up plot that follows around for the next 2.5 hours.

Nearly six people fight to be Rangaraya Sakthivel – Kamal, STR, Nassar, Arjun Chidambaram, Joju George and Mahesh Manjrekar but the question remains, is the throne worth it? These ‘gangsters’ accomplish very little & are easily threatened by simple acts of aggression by their opponents – their legacy is questionable and negligent. 

Usually when the plot sinks in a Mani Ratnam film, his aesthetics keep him afloat. Thug Life miserably fails in this too.The best and most hyped element of Thug Life is it’s album, true to that, it is soulful and transcendent but its poor placement and brutal chopping in the film make it tiring. The dialogues are a big disappointment here.

Nassar, Joju George, Ali Fazal, and Arjun Chidambaram are excellent as terrifying villains but too many cooks ruin a broth. Thug Life’s star heavy casting is its biggest disadvantage as it underutilizes them all and fails to establish and develop depth or an emotional connection with any of the characters. STR performs great stunts and looks quite ravishing on screen but a blunt arc makes his character seem inconsistent. 

ThTrisha plays a singer and the mistress of Kamal who contributes very little to the story. A gangster with an extra-marital affair is not new to Tamil cinema but Sakthivel convinces his wife, Jeeva played by Abirami into forgiving him by emotional manipulation. Tropes like these make it difficult to choose sides especially since Rangaraya Sakthivel is presented as a righteous protector of the family.

Thug Life, despite being bejeweled with the masters in each field fails in its execution, with a weak storyline.