Movie · 2017 · Action, Thriller, Crime, Adventure · 2h 27m · TA
Curator score: 8.3/10 (55.3K ratings)
Overview
A notorious gangster Vedha surrenders himself to encounter specialist Vikram whom he challenges every step of the way by narrating his life events in the form of riddles that needs to be solved in order to capture him.
A smart, stylish Tamil crime thriller built on cat-and-mouse tension, nonlinear storytelling, and a strong moral gray zone. It stands out for its writing, performances, and the way each flashback reframes what you think you know.
Best for
Viewers who like cerebral crime thrillers
Fans of morally ambiguous cop-versus-gangster stories
People who enjoy nonlinear narratives and twisty flashbacks
Audiences looking for sharp dialogue and strong star performances
Skip if
You want straightforward good-vs-evil storytelling
You prefer fast, simple plotting over layered structure
You dislike subtitles or dialogue-heavy thrillers
You need a cleanly resolved ending with no moral ambiguity
Overview
Vikram Vedha is a crime thriller that keeps changing shape as it goes, using stories inside stories to turn a manhunt into a debate about justice, violence, and self-justification. The setup is simple enough, but the film keeps complicating it with each new revelation, making the audience reassess both the cop and the gangster.
Worth noting
What makes it work is the confidence of the writing and the push-pull between the two leads. The film has style, but it is not style alone; the flashbacks, riddles, and moral reversals give the action real narrative momentum. It is one of those thrillers where the conversations matter as much as the shootouts.
Bottom line
Not every viewer will love where it lands, especially if they want a tidy moral conclusion. But if you enjoy crime cinema that treats ambiguity as the point rather than a flaw, this is a strong watch and an easy recommendation.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Michael James (4★) · 165 likes
It’s easy to choose between good and bad, but here both are bad guys! What would you do?
A stylish cop-gangster drama that entertains throughout with well written cat n mouse thrills. The screenplay is the major highlight, unveiling each knot through multiple flashbacks, changing its dimension and motive with each one convincingly. If you’re aware of the famous vikramadithyan-vedhalam stories, the non linear narrative pattern will make you fall in love with it even more, as it smartly questions… more
Shivu Gowda · 94 likes
Quite possibly the best film of the year, it is to be seen at all costs.
sydney (2.5★) · 93 likes
heat, but make it dumb...liked the idea of the gangster telling the cop weird stories and clues to help him solve the crime like a serial killer, but otherwise this is not only generic but morally incomprehensible - tries really hard to say something about blurred lines between good and evil, violence etc and seems like it's on the right track for a while but then it goes off somewhere else and lands with a super disappointing ending, like the… more heat, but make it dumb...liked the idea of the gangster telling the cop weird stories and clues to help him solve the crime like a serial killer, but otherwise this is not only generic but morally incomprehensible - tries really hard to say something about blurred lines between good and evil, violence etc and seems like it's on the right track for a while but then it goes off somewhere else and lands with a super disappointing ending, like the… more
vikram · 66 likes
yeah this happened to me in 2017 too
Kibriya⚡ (4★) · 56 likes
Yes. I'm ready for the Hindi remake now. Hrithik Roshan as Vedha 🥵.
PS Shraddha Srinath is wife material 😍🥺
2007 · Crime, Thriller, Western · 2h 2m · R · Curator 9.6/10 (3.1M ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, MGM Plus, Philo
A relentless pursuit story that treats fate, violence, and moral order as unstable.
2000 · Mystery, Thriller · 1h 53m · R · Curator 9.1/10 (3.2M ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Peacock, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus
For its fractured structure and the way narrative form becomes part of the mystery.