THE STORY – Twin half-blooded vampires wage war with desert highway hijackers after being mutilated and left for dead.
THE CAST – Ranjith Sajeev, Aiswarya Raj, Amala Paul, Abbas & Sreekanth Murali
THE TEAM – Samjad (Director/Writer) & Praveen Viswanath (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 96 Minutes
For those who are brave enough to attend the Toronto International Film Festival, the allure of the Midnight Madness selection is worthy enough to punish one’s brain with a lack of sleep. The energized crowd, the traditions, the scares, the laughs, and the thrill of possibly finding the next great film to break out make it a festival staple. All eyes are on what this year’s gem from the selection could be. One film that stands out among the bunch is “Half,” Samjad’s latest project: A curry Western about vampire twins battling their way through a ragtag criminal organization. It sounds like one of the more exhilarating watches at the fest, and a film perfectly concocted for the Midnight Madness audiences to fawn over. However, despite the promise of a full-throttled tale of vampiric vengeance, it doesn’t fully live up to the heavy-metal premise that draws audiences in, making it more of a mixed result.
Early into the film’s introduction, Samjad and co-writer Praveen Viswanath’s screenplay earnestly taps into the fraternal frustration anyone with siblings experiences growing up. Audiences see the foundational familial cornerstone of our half-human, half-vampire protagonists: bickering. Even as Ethan and Ivy bicker over the pettiest reasons, their mother, very frustrated with their behavior, reinforces the essence of the picture. Beneath these arguments, there should be deep love. A partnership bond by blood, in this case, the blood they consume and the blood in their veins that’s not human. Flash forward to the present day: Ethan and Ivy, played by Ranjith Sajeev and Aiswarya Raj, are on a road trip to an unknown destination when they’re suddenly ambushed by a group of ravenous marauders known as dacoits on the desolate roads of the Rajasthan desert. Brutalized and left for dead, the two siblings proceed to go through a bloodthirsty quest to eradicate this entire organization.
“Half” plays it smart avoiding the necessary to bind these characters through typical rules established in the majority of vampire films that already exist. The sibling’s mixed blood grants them the ability to walk the day albeit their capability to heal themselves dampens until the sun finally sets. Ivy and Ethan don shades the entire time not only to reduce the sun’s impact on their eyes but also to conceal their calico-esque eyes which tip their hidden nature to others. While Samjad and Viswanath jump around the rules of the genre, the lack of delving further into their lineage as siblings or their bloodsucking ways leaves plenty to be wondered.
In fact, besides establishing that the two are siblings in the opening moments, little is done to develop these characters as audiences are left to see them only through the lens as vehicles of retribution, hell-bent on returning the favor to a cartoonishly evil group of antagonists. These raiders are equally as one-note, portrayed in the most barbarically evil way possible. Their introduction is merciless, with Samjad playing up their rotten nature in an absurdly deplorable manner, taking it to a level where the point is more than emphasized. Yet it’s a set-up that easily has audiences aligning their favoritism to our angry day-walkers, despite this being a revenge tale that was already engineered to have us root for them in the first place.
Typical hallmarks of most Indian films, such as bombastic needle drops and slow-motion sequences, are present in Samjad’s direction. He attempts to pull from a variety of influences from various curry Westerns and films like “Near Dark.” Very Tri Yulissman’s action choreography is what makes “Half” as watchable as it is, giving every violent blow Ethan and Ivy deliver satisfying to watch. It does lose its edge quicker than one would hope, as the fight sequences never reach some show-stopping crescendo besides a few memorable kills. The prosthetic work is also quite effective, eliciting the desired visceral responses from audiences, whether it’s pus-popped burns from frying oil or the gushing blood pouring from each bandit killed.
Vishnu Govind’s sound mixing occasionally gives the film an auditory flair that makes it fascinating to watch. Despite all these touches by Samjad’s direction, there’s still an underwhelming feeling that permeates as the credits begin to roll. “Half” essentially delivers on what it promises, but it’s not enough. The awkward, half-piqued storytelling is most likely what will keep many, myself included, at bay, but it’s hard not to admit that any time “Half” embraces the carnage, it can be an enjoyable time.
