Patriot is a film that unites the state of Kerala to go to the theatres and watch it together, simply because of the reunion of the Big M’s, Mammootty and Mohanlal, after 18 years, with their last collaboration being Twenty:20. Mammootty, coming off after playing the cold-blooded Stanley Das in Kalamkaval and Mohanlal, coming off a blessed 2025, where 3 of his films were good hits at the box office, his well-received cameo appearance in Bha Bha Ba and being honoured the Dadasaheb Phalke Award are supported by a strong supporting cast of Fahadh Faasil, Kunchacko Boban, Nayanthara, Revathi, Darshana Rajendran, Rajiv Menon and a technical crew of Sushin Shyam handling the music and Manush Nandan handling the cinematography. Helmed by the talented Mahesh Narayanan, does the film land well?
The story follows Dr Daniel James (Mammootty), who tries to expose corrupt politician JP Sundaram (Rajiv Menon) and his son Shakti Sundaram (Fahadh Faasil) over their misuse of spying software after the death of Chief Minister Nalini Ramakrishnan (Revathi). Daniel’s efforts to expose JP Sundaram and Shakti, the father-son duo trying to silence him and the cat and mouse game between Daniel and JP Sundaram-Shakti is what forms the crux of this film.
The first half takes its time to establish the setting and focuses purely on the story. Mahesh Narayanan effectively creates a good build-up, and it culminates the first half on a high with a goosebumps-inducing interval block. This would naturally raise expectations for the second half, with viewers hoping that the 18-year wait to see the Big M’s share screen space was worthwhile. Unfortunately, the second half completely loses steam, and the narrative starts to trudge along with random events just stitched together, which makes it really feel forced and unnecessary. Barring the well-executed action sequences, the rest of the second half lands with a thud. Mahesh Narayanan, who has shown his filmmaking prowess and his ability to present a variety of subjects, deserves credit for coming up with yet another interesting and relevant subject; however falters in the second half, writing and star cast feel wasted. A film that banked on it being the reunion of the Big M’s sees Mohanlal’s screen time very limited, leaving fans eager for a longer appearance. The casting of Nayanthara also feels wasted, with not much scope, leaving us questioning whether an actor of the calibre of Nayanthara could be explored further due to poor writing.
Mammootty, as always, delivers a natural performance, as is expected of an actor of his class. As Daniel James, he effortlessly switches from moments of restraint to gravitas in a different kind of script with ample screen time, giving his fans a performance to enjoy. Mohanlal, unfortunately, has very limited screen time, which is more like a cameo appearance, leaving fans who were hopeful of a Big M’s reunion let down. Portraying Rahim Naik, he also gives us moments to cheer for in the limited time that he is present on screen, showcasing his majestic screen presence. Fahadh Faasil, in a very different kind of role, holds his own as Shakti Sundaram. Kunchacko Boban, Nayanthara, Revathi and the rest of the cast deliver what was needed of them.
De-ageing effects are commendable whenever used, and Manush Nandan’s cinematography is also commendable for most of the film, especially the colour grading. However, the camera movements at times during certain action sequences appear jittery and way too fast. Sushin Shyam is the biggest letdown of the film. Neither of the 2 songs in the film stays with you, and the background scores also feel out of place with none of them elevating the experience.
Overall, Patriot is a missed opportunity in reuniting the Big M’s after 18 years. Despite an interesting subject, poor second-half writing, wasted star cast and disappointing music weigh down the film significantly, hindering its box-office potential.
Rating: 2.75/5