Cadaver Review | An Outdated Thriller With an Unimaginative Script

One thing I find very awkward about certain investigative thriller movies is that in order to spoonfeed the audience about a particular procedure or share a piece of information, they will always make a cop or someone of similar responsibility look like an absolute idiot. Cadaver starring Amala Paul also follows the same style. Cadaver is one thriller that starts off like a serial killer movie with a difference. But by the time it reaches the last quarter, the movie loses all its charm due to the inability of the writing to imagine something refreshing.

Dr. Bhadra is a police surgeon who has a very impressive track record in doing the autopsy. The movie Cadaver shows a particular investigation where a serial killer is involved. And to fast-track the investigation, the police head asks Bhadra to be a part of the investigation squad. And what all gets unveiled is what we see in Cadaver.

Written by Abhilash Pillai, Cadaver starts very interestingly. We have a guy who is in prison claiming that he is the one who has done the crime. And he even gives the police all the details. So there is a genuine excitement in us to know how a guy inside a prison executed murders outside. But as soon as the mystery starts to unfold, the movie loses its charm very quickly. Some of the events in the film are supposed to be part of a major plan when you look back after a point. But Anoop S Panicker just can’t present it believably. The whole backstory and the mega plot twist felt so forced and may have worked if the movie had been released two decades ago.

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Amala Paul, as Dr. Bhadra, was fine as this Police Surgeon who handled her job very professionally with an intent to solve cases. Harish Uthaman gets that standard ACP character. Adith Arun plays the role of Vetri, who claims to be the killer, and the performance was just about okay. Munishkanth, as Michael is loud. Athulya, as Angel, plays that typical “innocent” girl whose idea of showing affection is a total disregard for personal space.

With all those slow-motion shots and frames with saturated levels of dark, Anoop S Panicker set the mood for the movie neatly. But the writing that runs out of ideas in the second half derails the film. The transformation of the central character we see here is a scripting trope that looks very outdated. And the big plan they reveal in the end lacks conviction. The parallel judiciary theme looks extremely dull, and the background score can’t fix that shortcoming.

Cadaver is a lackluster thriller with cliched elements. From a cheesy backstory to an unexciting revenge spree, the movie struggles to maintain a sense of curiosity in the viewer’s mind.