Good Bad Ugly is a 2025 Tamil-language action comedy film written and directed by Adhik Ravichandran. The film has Ajith Kumar & Trisha Krishnan playing the lead roles while Arjun Das, Sunil, Prabhu, Prasanna, Jackie Shroff, Karthikeya Dev, Priya Prakash Varrier, Simran, Tinnu Anand, Shine Tom Chacko, Redin Kingsley, Raghu Ram, Rahul Dev & others are seen in important supporting roles. The music is composed by GV. Prakash Kumar while the film is produced by Naveen Yerneni & Y. Ravi Shankar under Mythri Movie Makers banner.
Story:
AK (Ajith Kumar), also called Red Dragon, is a former gangster who spent 18 years in prison. His son Vihaan (Karthikeya Dev), now 18, wants his father, unaware of his dark past, to be with him. After AK is released, he finds out that Vihaan has been arrested for a drug-related crime. To save his son, AK returns to his old ways and goes on a deadly mission to find those behind the trouble. His search brings him face-to-face with twin brothers Jammie and Johnny (Arjun Das), who are at the center of the mess. Who is Red Dragon? Why did he leave his gangster life? What crime sent him to jail? Can Vihaan prove his innocence and regain his freedom? All the answers need to be seen in the film.
What about on-screen performances?
Ajith Kumar looks dapper and gives out a superb performance as AK aka Red Dragon. He gets to don multiple looks and wear different attires in the film, and he owns every single one of them like a boss. He appears in almost every scene of the film and impresses his fans with his style and swag. His de-aging is done well too, and credits need to be given to the VFX/CGI team.
Trisha Krishnan delivers a composed performance, making her presence felt throughout the story. But her role looks a bit monotonous to what she has played before in Vidamuyarchi.
Arjun Das fits well as the funky baddie, and he shines in his double role. His versatility is tapped in the right amount, and he gives out his best.
Priya Prakash Varrier is decent in a short role while Simran impresses in a surprising cameo.
Prasanna gets a dummy sidekick character that has no relevance in the plot, while Sunil does what he has been doing in these kinds of similar roles in Tamil.
Jackie Shroff, Prabhu, Karthikeya Dev, Tinnu Anand, Shine Tom Chacko, Redin Kingsley, Raghu Ram, Rahul Dev & all others did fine in their respective roles.
What about off-screen talents?
The story by Adhik Ravichandran is wafer thin with predictable scenes and a straightforward narrative offering no surprises throughout. It is a regular gangster drama that is high on style but low on substance.
The screenplay by Adhik Ravichandran and his writers is poor. They have focused more on presenting Ajith stylishly than on building a compelling narrative, which in a way takes away the emotional quotient that is there in the script. The entire family portions and the father-son bond never connect with the audience coz of other distractions. Also, the exaggerated build-ups, limitless slow-mo shots, and overly done action blocks never help the narrative.
Director Adhik Ravichandran succeeds in presenting Ajith in a sleek and stylish manner in a grand canvas gangster drama with flashy clothes and slow-mo shots, but his narrative is a big disappointment. The whole film just appears as a series of episodes due to the lack of depth in the writing. He definitely has implemented a stamp of his own, which is a mix of eccentricity and quirkiness, but to show this, he has missed a big opportunity to satisfy all kinds of audiences with a big star film.
GV Prakash’s songs are disappointing. For a film that madly worships the hero, the elevation tracks are not up to the mark. The remix tracks give us good vibes, but the background score falls short of being a banger.
Abinandhan Ramanujam’s cinematography is impressive, capturing a vibrant range of colors with great precision. He has delivered outstanding work, especially in presenting the hero and the film stylishly.
The edit by Vijay Velukutty is neat with seamless scene transitions. He sticks to the basics while enhancing the hero’s image through well-placed collages and flash-cuts.
Special mention to the costumes team and the art department for their brilliant work and grand visuals on screen.
The production values by Mythri Movie Makers are grand.
What’s Hot?
* Ajith Kumar’s Performance
* Arjun Das’s Performance
* Few Pop Culture References Of Ajith
* Cinematography & Production Values
* Costumes & Art Work
What’s Not?
* Routine Story With A Thin Plot
* Poorly Written Screenplay
* Dragged Out Narrative & Half Baked Sub Plots
* Few Overly Done Fight Scenes & Elevations
* Zero Emotional Connect
* Weak Family Angle & Father-Son Bond
* Unwanted Songs
Verdict: On the whole, Good Bad Ugly is an underwhelming gangster drama that is dominated by style over substance. Except for a few fans service moments of Ajith, the film fails to entertain with a predictable story, bland narrative, no emotional depth, poor characterizations and overly done action scenes.
Telugubulletin.com Rating: 1.5/5