Mission Chapter 1 Review - Arun Vijay excels in this London based actioner

Arun Vijay, one of the leading action heroes in Tamil cinema has joined hands with director Vijay for 'Mission Chapter 1' set predominantly in the London Wandsworth Prison.  Whether the film satisfies all sections of the audiences besides action lovers remains to be seen.  rr.

Mission Chapter 1 starts off on a busy note showing that Pakistani terrorists have infiltrated into India with the mission to disrupt the G20 conference.  The action then cuts to Gunasekaran (Arun Vijay), a single father who travels  to London for a major brain surgery to his little daughter Sana (Iyal).  He is without money and carries a ten rupee note that will fetch him hawala money for the surgery expenses.  A kind nurse Nancy (Nimisha Sajayan) takes care of Sana and also has a kind word for Gunasekaran.  By a twist of fate Gunasekharan is attacked by local rowdies and when he hits back he is imprisoned in the high security Wandsworth Prison.  Sandra (Amy Jackson) is the Jailer there to whom Guna begs to let him out so that he can ensure the smooth surgery of his child but she refuses.  Soon the prison comes under the control of the Pakistani terrorists and a mass prison break is orchestrated.  To the utmost surprise of Sandra and the audience Gunasekaran takes charge and even the chief terrorist Omar Bhai seems to know him as The Jailer.  Who is Gunasekaran and what is his mission? Can he thwart the prison break attempt and also save his daughter who is targeted by the terrorists or not is what the rest of the screenplay is all about,

Arun Vijay as always has put in a sincere effort to bring his character to life and in the initial scenes he comes across as a soft natured man who is struggling to save his daughter.  However once he shows his other side in the prison he switches on to adrenaline pumping action mode and as usual exceles in it.  One particular high octane action scene in which Arun Vijay fights mean looking bulked up criminal inmates is worth the ticket money.   Amy Jackson as the Jailer has given her best shot despite her one dimensional character that forces her to look bemused in a few scenes.  Nimisha Sajayan also has nothing much to do and is barely  passable.  Viraj of 'Chennai 28' fame has done a neat job in a negative character.  Kannada hero Bharat Boppana plays the main baddie Omar Bhai and sadly his role is the most badly written making him a mere caricature.

Apart from the action sequences, what works best in 'Mission Chapter 1' is the suspense behind Arun Vijay's character that holds interest in the first half.  The London setting also adds to the production values.

On the downside the film lacks energy in the writing and the screenplay just meanders along in a predictable manner.  

G.V. Prakash's music and the rest of the technical aspects just about serve the genre.  Lyca Productions has bankrolled the film with rich production values and especially the prison break sequence is impressive thanks to Stunt Silva.  Director Vijay was in brilliant form in 'Thalaivi' has since let his guard down yet again and though 'Mission Chapter 1' is not as bad as his bad films it could have been much better.

Verdict : Go for the impressive action sequences and a fighting effort by Arun Vijay