Coolie Movie Review: Rajinikanth starrer is a stylish action entertainer but fails to live up to the hype

Pink Villa

2 days ago

Coolie, starring Rajinikanth in the lead role, finally hit the theaters on August 14, 2025. The movie, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, features Nagarjuna Akkineni as the main antagonist, with Upendra Rao, Aamir Khan, Soubin Shahir, and others playing pivotal characters.
If you're planning to watch the Rajinikanth starrer this week, here's the Pinkvilla review you should definitely read.
The Plot
Coolie features the story of Deva, a former daily wage labourer who is left shocked by the sudden demise of his friend Rajasekhar. Upon visiting the latter's home for the final rites, Deva learns his friend didn't die of natural causes, and that he was linked with a crime syndicate.
What was Rajasekhar hiding, and how will Deva find justice for his old buddy? This forms the entire story of Coolie.
The Good
Coolie is a neat and slick action entertainer, with Rajinikanth leading the show. The movie starts off with a sharp narrative, slowly unravelling to become a Superstar-led flick that balances style and action.
While there are discrepancies in its screenplay, the execution of Coolie manages to stay true to Lokesh Kanagaraj's signature style. Running close to 3 hours in duration, the actioner presents a fresh concept with brilliant performances from the lead cast.
Coming to the execution, Lokesh once again proves his aptitude as a leading filmmaker in Tamil cinema. While the flick is neither as subtle as Kaithi nor as packed with thrilling moments as Vikram, it offers a good watch, especially for Rajinikanth fans.
In the 1st half of the film, the suspense is stretched considerably, making us question how the balance is maintained. Similar to Quentin Tarantino's works, even paying homage with a smash zoom cut in editing, the Leo director tries to make up for the subpar writing.
Coming to the technical aspects, Anirudh Ravichander once again shines with his musical skills. The composer elevates various scenes with his charismatic tracks, even blending vintage songs like Vaa Vaa Pakkam Vaa and Loyola College Laila into the fight sequences.
With Girish Gangadharan behind the camera, the visuals, lighting, and composition look top-notch. The VFX, especially for Rajini's de-aged portions, looks great; the fight choreography by the Anbarivu duo should be lauded.
The Bad
While Coolie has quite a few exciting moments, especially with references to old-school Rajini flicks, what it lacks is a comprehensive script. The entire show runs on the shoulders of a unique concept, but fails to have an interesting take through its writing.
The characters seem impeccable and interesting on paper, but when they are brought to life, they lack depth and an overall personality. Despite the long runtime, many characters were underdeveloped and seemed to exist for namesake, leaving several answers unclear.
A couple of subplots are unnecessarily roped into the narrative, diluting the film's overall impact. In this regard, Lokesh clearly needs to elevate his writing from mediocrity.
While the emotional resonance of the characters feels forced, the cameo by Aamir Khan was a wasted moment, despite the actor having an uber-cool look.
From a technical aspect, Coolie needed a better arrangement of visuals. This becomes particularly apparent when not one or two, but three songs play back-to-back, disrupting the narrative flow.
The Performances
Coolie is surely a Rajinikanth film, dressed to be more than what meets the eye. With an ample amount of fan service and a minor glimpse of a de-aged Rajini, audiences would be thrilled if they love the superstar's films from the 1980s-1990s.
While Nagarjuna Akkineni and Aamir Khan do their best with the limited screentime, Upendra came as a surprise with his action role. Even though he comparatively had little footage and dialogue, the Kannada actor looked sharp as ever.
With Soubin Shahir stealing various moments with his villainous role, Shruti Haasan and Rachita Ram could've done a whole lot better with their respective characters.
Watch the trailer for Coolie:
The Verdict
Coolie is not the next Vikram nor a new Kaithi. Like Lokesh said, the film is a standalone venture with a decent storyline and neat execution. While the screenplay fails partly, the Rajinikanth starrer is still a fun watch meant for big screens.