Malik movie review: Fahadh Faasil is fabulous in Amazon’s overambitious but outstanding crime saga

Fahadh Faasil’s sprawling epic, acquired by Amazon Prime, bites off more than it can chew, but leaves you to mull over some important ideas. Malik opens with a flashy oner that perfectly captures the adventurous spirit of contemporary Malayalam cinema. But technically speaking, it opens with a paranoid disclaimer that captures the mood of the nation. Directed by Mahesh Narayanan and starring his muse, Fahadh Faasil, Malik walks a thin line, thematically. Props to Amazon Prime Video for picking it up.

At over two-and-a-half hours long, Malik is a suitably epic crime saga; its reach often exceeds its grasp. It spans the lifetime of one man, Sulaiman Ali, the revolutionary leader of a coastal village in Kerala who in the opening moments of the film is arrested by the authorities at the airport. Fearing his increasing influence in the region’s politics, local leaders scheme to have him assassinated in captivity. But Ali Ikka, as he is affectionately known by his followers, is convinced that no one in the community can harm him.