S J Suryah, Vishal Shine in This Mindless Time Travel Gangster Saga
If not for S J Suryah's eccentric and over-the-top performance, the much-hyped dubbed movie ‘Mark Antony' would have been much worse.
Of course, Tamil star Vishal Krishna also has his moments as an innocent mechanic as well as a fearless gangster. But it is director-turned-SJ Suryah who steals the show and carries the second half with his wit and antics as he pokes his father (Vishal again) for missing a few chances to kill the hero. Vishal (Antony) and Suryah(Mark) are close friends, but only Mark is alive. Their sons Vishal(Mark) and Suryah (Madhan) are also good friends but things turn sour after skeletons start tumbling out of the cupboard after using the phone. Telugu actor Sunil ( Ekambaram) plays an interesting role as a gangster.
Actually, the film begins with an interesting premise of a magic telephone invented by a maverick scientist (Selvaraghavan) that connects people to their past, but the magic slowly fades as it gets repetitive. Initially, mechanic Vishal finds the said phone in an abandoned car and later uses it to find out the truth behind the killing of his mother two decades ago. Later, he gets to know the truth from another friend of his father (Nizhalgal Ravi).
All hell breaks loose, when the wicked Suryah begins to use the same phone and starts changing things in the past. Mark Antony is a tale of Vishal, who lives a simple life as a car mechanic and he is in love with the pretty Ritu Varma. He hates his father (Antony) for killing his mother. He is under the case of his father’s friend and gangster S J Suryah and his son (S J Suryah again). Accidently, he finds a mysterious telephone that would connect him to the past and he begins to learn the truth about his parents. As he moves into the past, his love life gets affected but he realizes that he has a mission to complete and goes about it with both brawn and brains.
Vishal has put on a lot of muscle and aptly fits into both the roles as mechanic as well as gangster. He showcases a softer side in the former, while he exhibits his fiery side in the latter. He scores well in the climax by adding a swag to his tonsured look. Ritu Varma looks pretty and just walks through her role with ease. However, S J Suryah delivers a riveting performance as he evokes fun and anger with ease. He rocks both as a gangster as well as a mechanic who wants to regain his gangster life. With the film set in the 1990s, they show a look alike of sexy siren Silk Smitha to trigger some nostalgic moments.
Director Adhir Ravichandran tries to blend comedy with action, but the former overtakes the latter and eventually the film turns into a fun-centric movie. The director has chosen a very interesting plot, but it is lost in his dreary execution.
The name Mark Antony is etched in the minds of people since it is the name of baddie Raghuvaran in blockbuster film ‘Baasha’ featuring Rajnikanth. Although, the director uses the name, he fails to come up with a gripping gangster saga like Baasha.
