Gautham Vasudev Menon has built his colorful career alternating between pure romance and cop thrillers and a mix of both.  With 'Joshua Imaipol Kaakha' he has attempted a slick romantic thriller by placing 'John Wick' in 'Bodyguard' and the result is there to be seen in the long delayed film that finally hits theaters this weekend.

Joshua (Varun) a contract killer and a London based budding lawyer Kundavi (Raahei) meet and fall instantly in love with each other.  But when Joshua confesses to Kundavi about his profession and also performs a massacre in the next minute she decides to break up.  A few months later Joshua has given up on his killing ways but Madhavi the head of the organization he used to work for gets in touch with a new contract.  He refuses but later agrees since his job is to, yes you guessed it , protect Kundavi whose life is in danger since she is prosecuting a dreaded drug mafia chief.  Will Joshua be able to rekindle the lost passion in Kundavi all when saving her life from countless goons is what 'Joshua Imaipol Kaakha' is all about.

Varun who actually impressed as the boy next door in 'Puppy' ,his debut film as hero, is equally believable as the paid assassin thanks to his commendable efforts in the almost nonstop stunt sequences.  Otherwise the script does not give him much scope to perform.  Raahei lacks the charm and acting prowess to sustain viewer interest right from the start and her weak characterization is no help either.  Krishna Kulasekharan appears in negative character and his and Varun's interactions are one of the few good moments in the film.  DD's Madhavi could have been inspired by  'Wanted' Angelina Jolie but she too is badly letdown by the writing like much of the rest of the cast.,

What works best in 'Joshua Imaipol Kaakha' are the action sequences that fully showcase Varun's agility with guns, knives and fists.  The film has an interesting plot and tries to be a cool urban flick, succeeding to a certain extent in that.

On the downside 'Joshua Imaipol Kaakha'  has some of the most hollow dialogues in recent times and that too the English that the characters speak is laughably bland.  Logical loopholes abound with inconsistencies in characterizations and the screenplay.

Music and songs by Karthik have the GVM flavor and will appeal to diehards and so is S.R. Kathir's cinematography that has the rawness the story demands.  The rest of the technical aspects are what one would expect from the filmmaker. Varun's home banner Vels Film International has bankrolled the project with lavish production values.  Gautham Vasudev Menon has tried to give his fans a modern romantic thriller with all the ingredients of the genre in place such as international drug lords, a surprise villain, a friend turned foe turned betrayer and the highs and lows of a modern relationship.  But the writing has failed in mixing the elements in the right proportion to give the audience its high.

Verdict : Action lovers and GVM fans will have a satisfying time