Violence, corruption, cartels, kidnappings and drug runners. These are the negative stereotypes one thinks of when they think of the worst aspects of Mexico City. But for drug lord, Juan “Manitas” Del Monte (Karla Sofia Gascón) they are a way of life. Hell, he is the one responsible for it and profiting from it all. But it is time for a change of sorts.

Rita Mora Castro (Zoe Saldaña) is a brilliant yet unappreciated lawyer disillusioned with her career. After successfully defending yet another scumbag criminal, she is offered work from a new client, Manitas. Manitas has an odd request (well a demand) one which comes from having always felt like they were born into the wrong body. They want Rita to facilitate gender affirming surgery in secret so that they can begin a new life as a woman. With a huge payday in store, Rita throws her scruples to the wind and helps Manitas fake his death and find a doctor. Manitas is no more and so ‘Senora Emilia Perez‘ is born.

Four years later, Rita finally has the life and respect she always wanted, until Emilia comes back with another request, wishing to be reunited with Juan‘s wife Jessi (Selena Gomez) and children under the guise of being Manitas‘ wealthy cousin. While this farce works at first, it isn’t long before the past catches up to Emilia as they attempt to turn over a new leaf and right the wrongs of Mexico. But remember, Manitas was a violent drug lord after all…

One of the most lauded and awarded films of 2024 finally sees its Australian release in 2025. The second most nominated film in Golden Globe history went home with 4 wins including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and a Best Supporting Actress award for Saldaña. However, visionary filmmaker Jacques Audiard‘s genre bending story of redemption and crime has proven to be not without controversy at the same time.

Emilia Perez is a story with a lot of heart, a lot to say and honestly a lot of moralising. This has been called into question with a French filmmaker and a cast of foreigners telling a story with themes and subjects so important to Mexican people. Lack of local talent and Audiard’s admitted lack of research into context has been criticised. The Spanish dialogue which to an outsider simply reading subtitles might seem acceptable, may also seem off to those who can speak it fluently.

But looking past that, I can appreciate Audiard‘s originality and refusal to tell this story in any sort of conventional way. Often even if something doesn’t work, it’s still admirable for a filmmaker to take a chance. While praise has been heaped on Emilia Perez, I still believe that there’s many ways the film just doesn’t quite come together.

It seems ironic that a film entirely about finding your true self can be so lost in grasping an identity of its own. Is this a pop musical? A violent crime thriller? A family drama? A story of redemption or of being unable to truly change who you are deep down? It’s a little bit of everything, and so none of it really feels like it takes centre stage. 

The story of a violent drug lord trying to literally become a completely different person is a fascinating one. Gascón switches between the two personas impressively yet is never given a chance to play it as anything more than a bipolar transperson. Saldaña as well earns the acclaim which has come her way but ‘Rita‘ becomes lost amongst endless twists. The sanctimoniousness of her character looking down on the corruption of the elite as she wilfully takes money to whitewash and reinvent a drug kingpin feels unexplored.

This is all despite Emilia Perez‘ lengthy runtime and much of it is due to the film failing as a musical. Giving ‘Joker Folie à deux‘ a run for its money, Emilia Perez just seems to want to be a musical without figuring out how to make it work. While some musical scenes feature stunning choreography from Damien Jalet, others just have the cast reciting run on dialogue that’s set to a beat. Every time this occurs; it detracts from the film rather than enhancing it.

Imagine having a normal conversation which changes into a strangely structured and forced song and dance before suddenly going back to regular speech patterns. Sounds incredibly obnoxious and irritating, right? Well congratulations, you’ve grasped Jacques Audiard‘s approach to the musical genre!

Emilia Perez is considered by some to be one of the greatest films of the year. However, I found it to be an incredibly unlikable and grating experience. A hodgepodge of ideas rolled up into a mess of film genres and styles, one which is bold and not afraid to take chances, but not one which is successfully executed in any meaningful way.

Emilia Perez is in cinemas from January 16th.

Warning: This story contains spoilers from the season finale of “Landman.”

Billy Bob Thornton had a hunch that his latest series, “Landman,” would strike a chord with viewers. Like the blockbuster hit “Yellowstone,” the Western-flavored drama about a fixer for a Texas oil company fits comfortably in the Taylor Sheridan universe, anchored by the writer-producer’s distinctive flair for crusty, no-nonsense heroes and stories juiced by plenty of country music, sex and violence.

But even Thornton, who plays chain-smoking crisis manager Tommy Norris in the series, is overwhelmed by the impressive ratings of “Landman,” which aired its Season 1 finale on Sunday. After premiering in November, the series attracted 14.9 million households in its first four weeks, becoming the most popular original project on the Paramount+ streaming service.

“I’ve been in some iconic movies over the years where the response has been pretty big,” Thornton told The Times during a recent video call. “But I’ve never seen anything like this. I have people coming up to me every day, everywhere I go, reciting lines. We’re blown away by it, in other words.”

Although a decision on whether “Landman” will return has not been announced, Thornton said he was pleased with how the freshman season wrapped up.

The whirlwind finale features an onslaught of major developments. Monty Miller, the president of the M-Tex oil company played by Jon Hamm, dies of complications from a heart attack, but not before handing over the reins of the corporation to Norris. Miller’s widow, Cami (Golden Globe winner Demi Moore), who has been mostly on the sidelines, becomes more involved with the company. A gang of cartel thugs captures and tortures Norris. The episode also introduced Andy Garcia as Galino, a powerful and cunning cartel boss.

During the interview, Thornton, who continues to perform with his rock band, the Boxmasters, addressed the season and the finale, working with Sheridan and his thoughts about a possible second season.

Are you surprised at the reception of “Landman”?

We knew we were making something really special. We thought people would like it. But the response has been so much beyond what we thought. Traditionally, Taylor’s stuff is more of a middle-of-the-country kind of thing. But with this, it’s the middle of the country, the coasts and other countries, too. We’re humbled by that. When people come up and want to talk about it, it means a lot. There’s something very genuine about it. You can tell they’re not just handing a bill of goods because they’re in front of you.

What do you feel viewers are connecting to?

Taylor wrote a guy who has so much pressure on him. He’s got the world on his shoulders every day. Peace is not something that exists in his life. And Tommy is driven to succeed. He doesn’t to want to be seen as a failure for his boss, who ultimately passes. He is handed the torch. I don’t think he wants to be in that position but he knows he has to be, and he’s probably the right guy to do it.

Also, people have never had a peek behind the curtain of the oil business. Not since “Giant” have you ever seen a lot about the oil business. That movie really struck me, and I think people wanted to see the daily life of how this stuff works. I told someone the other day that “Landman” is “Giant” with cursing.

And they seem to enjoy your performance.

I’ve always believed in being natural and organic in a part, no matter what it is. Taylor wrote great dialogue. Every once in a while, I’ll throw one of mine in. My roles in “Goliath” and “Landman” I would call the right pair of shoes. They fit in the same world. I try to put myself in every character I play. If you’re playing yourself, it’s going to be a stronger performance. I feel very fortunate that Taylor thought of me.

There’s a lot to unpack in the finale.

I think Taylor wrapped up the season very nicely, while giving the show the possibility of carrying on. The greatest thing about the finale, in terms of my part in it, is that Tommy is facing the rest of his life. He is facing very serious reflection and having to examine his philosophical beliefs, who he is and how he fits into this world. He also introduced Andy Garcia’s character. It’s the calm before the storm, and there’s already been the storm.

What would you like to see if the show continued?

I would certainly hope that the family dynamic continues and deepens. I would also hope that we explore the weird position that Tommy is in with Andy’s character. Is he going home at night feeling guilty and wondering, “Am I in cahoots with criminals? I guess I am.” How is this going to work out? Tommy isn’t dealing with henchmen anymore. He knew how to deal with them. But now he’s got a smart guy on the opposite side of the law who is his equal. We’re in a chess match, and I hope that’s explored.

Balakrishna in ‘Daaku Maharaaj’
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Balakrishna’s resurgence in recent films such as Akhanda and Bhagawant Kesari can be attributed to filmmakers Boyapati Sreenu and Anil Ravipudi making the star more relatable to the masses beyond his larger-than-life quirks. While the ethos of a typical Balakrishna film has not changed drastically, the fresh narrative styles have breathed a new lease of life into time-tested templates.

In Daaku Maharaaj, it is evident that director Bobby Kolli was keen on a new visual aesthetic to a star-led vehicle. The action is stylised and slick; there is a genuine effort at charismatic world-building and the ‘punch lines’ are minimal (going by the standards of popular Telugu masala potboilers). Hero worship is woven into the narrative rather than appearing forced.

Despite these merits the film falls short, owing to its lack of conviction in the execution. It neither plays to the galleries nor embraces the new dictum wholeheartedly. A handful of sequences draw attention and can be termed paisa vasool, but the film on the whole is not satisfying.

Set in a hill station near Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, the film takes its time to establish the context for the messiah’s arrival. A girl named Vaishnavi, the granddaughter of an influential man, is under threat from a local gangster duo. A convict on the run — ‘Daaku’ Maharaaj — assumes the identity of a driver, Nanaji, to guard the family. What connects Maharaaj’s violent past to the goons and the girl?

The film impressively does away with an ego-boosting intro song to announce the hero’s entry. S Thaman’s over-enthusiastic music score and the crisp dialogues between the action sequences do the job of offering a glimpse into the hero’s aura. Much like in Balakrishna’s earlier films (Jai Simha, Narasimha Naidu and Bhagawant Kesari), a young girl serves as the emotional link for the star to unleash his fury. 

When the proceedings get too heavy, there is silliness in the garb of humour for some comic relief (Satya is wasted) and romance, where Urvashi Rautela gets spanked by Balakrishna in a song named after his trademark phrase ‘Dabidi Dibidi.’ In between all the gore and insipid lighter moments, the child’s character brings some innocence (though caricaturish at times) to the mix.

However, the masala-laden proceedings soon become superficial. There are too many inconsequential characters that do not threaten the protagonist; the villainy lacks meat and the narrative beats around the bush for too long. The restlessness partly subsides with the flashback episode, in which a government officer transforms into a dacoit. 

Some of the tropes are reminiscent of films of the 90s and 2000s. A lion-hearted hero stands up for people of an arid land insulated from development and builds dams for them; every second girl in the region calls him ‘maamayya’ or ‘annayya’. Within this predictable framework, the equation between Maharaaj and the collector, Nandini (Shraddha Srinath), is a silver lining. 

The entire subplot woven around water supply to a village and the link between marble quarries and a drug racket is rushed and devoid of authenticity. Once the film returns to the present-day timeline, the rest is pretty much a formality. Surprisingly, Balakrishna’s restraint holds the weaker stretches together, helped by the racy action choreography and the raw visuals.

Cinematographer Vijay Kartik Kannan’s penchant for visuals comes to the fore in the flashback segments set in Chambal, transporting viewers into an anarchic world devoid of hope. In particular, the imagery of a dacoit leader’s headless statue merging with Balakrishna’s face stays with you long after the film. The gore is never vulgar or indulgent and the technical finesse adds to the experience.

The film also has its share of references to animals in the jungle. Maharaaj’s towering presence is visually compared to an injured snow leopard in the interval episode. The dialogues add some vigour too — ‘When you shout, you bark… when I shout… (referring to roar)..,’ ‘I hold a masters in murders,’ ‘When a lion and a deer confront, it is not a fight… it is a hunt’.

There is a noticeable gap between what Daaku Maharaaj aims to be and its final result. The craftiness of the visuals and the myth-making are often overpowered by the director’s conventional choices. Beyond Balakrishna and Shraddha Srinath’s Nandini, other characters (including the antagonist — Balwant Singh Thakur played by Bobby Deol) do not make a strong impression. 

It is disappointing to see capable actors such as Ravi Kishan, Shine Tom Chacko, Rishi, Chandini Chowdary and Sachin Khedekar wasted in insignificant parts. Shraddha Srinath is elegant in her portrayal of a vulnerable government official while Bobby Deol is reduced to a typical Mumbai-import villain who gives bombastic warnings to the hero without doing much. Pragya Jaiswal and Urvashi Rautela lack agency in their roles and merely serve as glam dolls. Sandeep Raj’s role begins well but adds little value to the film.

Bobby Kolli’s attempt to dish out a ‘different-looking’ Balakrishna film is a mixed bag. Apart from Balakrishna and Shraddha Srinath’s performances, the action choreography, cinematography and the music salvages it to an extent.