Ace Review: Vijay Sethupathi's crime thriller is a decent entertainer with lots of twists

RATING - ⭐ ⭐✨ 2.5/5*

Ace Review Movie Talkies:

Ace has all the right ingredients to cater to the masses, though it misses the finesse expected by the class audience. The film treads familiar ground—con dramas with mistaken identities and emotional backstories—so predictability does creep in. Fortunately, it doesn’t become tiresome. The 155-minute runtime feels unnecessarily stretched for a con-thriller, which usually lands better around the two-hour mark. One unique twist here is that the identity of the protagonist is never fully revealed—even after the film ends.

Ace Story:

The story, written and directed by Arumuga Kumar, follows Bolt Kannan (Vijay Sethupathi), who arrives in a foreign country and is mistakenly hired by Arivu (Yogi Babu). Taking advantage of the situation, Bolt plays along and eventually falls for Rukku (Rukmini Vasanth), who’s facing abuse at the hands of her stepfather, Rajadurai (Babloo Prithiveeraj). To help Rukku escape and also repay a debt incurred while trying to double money for a dress, Bolt must navigate a world of cons, loans, and poker scams. The plot stays engaging with its many twists, though it occasionally slips into dated tropes and poor clichés. Characters like Arivu with his silly decisions, or the overdone chase sequences and conveniently secretive leads, drag the narrative down. The comedy quotient is uneven—some jokes fall flat, but a few manage to evoke genuine laughter.

"Crafting War 2's storyline needed to mount the face off between Hrithik Roshan & Jr. NTR," says Ayan Mukerji –

Ace Cast:

Vijay Sethupathi, however, shines in a full-blown south-hero avatar after a while. He’s got the full package—brawn, brains, charm, emotional depth, and a knack for manipulation. He’s the savior, the lover, the fighter—practically unstoppable, as expected from such roles.Rukmini Vasanth and Divya Pillai look stunning and deliver respectable performances. Yogi Babu, while not entirely convincing, brings enough energy to his role. BS Avinash is an effective villain, and Babloo Prithiveeraj is convincingly cruel. The rest of the supporting cast does a serviceable job.

Ace Movie Review:

Action sequences vary in quality—some are punchy, others exhausting. The cinematography is decent, but the screenplay needed tightening. Director Arumuga Kumar maintains a steady hand but misses out on delivering that one big moment—the ace card, so to speak. With so many twists and build-ups, you expect a grand reveal, but Ace ends up playing it safe.

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