Singam 2 (2013) takes the established formula of action, patriotism and integrity established in the franchise and features it in an interesting undercover drama. The movie drops the audiences into the rough-and-tumble coast world of Thuthukudi in which Durai Singam played with intense concentration by Suriya against the deadly interplay of drug cartels and the world of organized crime. The narrative moves at a fast pace, yet it manages to incorporate the emotional and affecting scenes, highly visible in the tragic death of Sathya, which gives a depth and seriousness to the never-wavering battle of Singam against all wrong doings.
The movie is even more successful in showing how Singam changes not only into a committed police officer but a protagonist who is not scared to take actions and go extreme hero in fighting drug lords as well as peon gangsters. The use of Suriya to play such a man dominated in duty and loss due to personal reasons makes the film anchor. The second layer of personal stakes is achieved with the help of other characters he is involved with, his love interest, Kavya, and his father. The cleverness of director Hari in conveying the story makes every scene escalate tensions, particularly during the action and chase sequences, although cinematography brings out the green vegetation on the beach shore, which is coupled with a juxtaposition of the beauty of the location with the ugliness of the crime.
The most striking part was the depth that was put into the story, how Sathya was killed tragically, further highlights how costly Singam was committed to justice. The tone of the film between savage fighting and a feeling of loss and sacrifice made me inspired by the strength of Singam to find moral values. Although there were some expected genre cliches, singam 2 works in its strengths, bringing to life the character journey in such a way that it makes it an emotionally driven, intense experience that makes its impact felt, in terms of the strength of integrity and courage against great evil.
