A promising storyline that has not been creatively used, CIA disappoints with a sketchy plot, shallow characterization, and actors not used in the best possible way. One would expect Duqluer’s charm to work its way and to an extent it does. While ‘Big B’ had style, CIA cannot even boast of that.  With no trailer or promos, there have been speculations about what CIA would be about. Well, it is a story of self-discovery. Hard hitting dialogues and communist ideology is not the intention of the movie, though we do find that sporadically. There is no depth to the tale in either its thought or making.

The story is basically about Aji (Dulquer), a young Pala based communist. He is the son of a cool Kerala congress father (Siddique), who is happy to let his son choose what he wants to – be it ideology or love. The father-son space is the best part in the movie with Siddique acing the role. A college love which is cut short with the girl (Karthika Muralidharan) being whisked off to America is where the plot hinges on. The girl in question is an American Indian who is Aji’s college mate, smitten with the firebrand hero that Aji is. Aji’s quest to find her and the journey he undertakes is what the movie is all about.

We are taken from Kottayam to America via Mexico and back. Of course there is Marx and Lenin in it. But they are also just spectators like us, listening to Aji’s tale. Che Guvera was interesting to see.  At the end of it all, Aji says that the girl has enriched his life and his experiences in his quest to reach her made him richer. The only problem is that this richness is not communicated to us. This is where the movie falls flat. All that sequences in Mexico just passes by without making any kind of impression. And a Palakaran suddenly becoming a gun wielding fighter shooing away terrorists just spoils the effect. Amal Neerad has used dreams and flashbacks to narrate this tale. It is not that ‘CIA’ is a badly made movie in that sense, but creativity and craft takes a sideline.

Soubin and Dileesh too are part of the movie. It is a surprise that even their counters now and then couldn’t elicit much of a response. There are also parts where Amal Neerad has not been able to use Dulquer correctly, like with the drunk scene which appears so amateurish. Also, the retribution of arriving in that Bentley car hardly makes any sense. We do root for Aji, but that perspective shift or change in life is not visible to the viewer. Otherwise, Dulquer is good as Aji. As mentioned before, Siddique takes the cake for his cool act. Karthika is a surprise cast in the movie and we feel a mismatch of her pairing with Dulquer. Her act is okay though. A host of foreign actors in Mexico has done justice to their roles. Soubin, Dileesh, Maala Parvthy and others have done well. John Vijay as the Sri Lankan is good.

On the technical front, what jumps out is Gopi Sunder’s BGM and music. Yes, music does stand out. That tune which we heard in the teaser is used liberally throughout the movie. And sometimes at odd moments which makes it irritating. Script by Shibin Francis is poor in quality, though the storyline was promising. There is nothing impressive about the camera by Renadive though the work is tidy. Amal Neerad as a director has not been able to lift the movie to be riveting.

‘CIA’ is just passably engaging. It is good in patches but overall fails to make an impression. Watch it to catch Dulquer in action and see a Mexican story unfold.