The Greatest of All Time review: Vijay's star power holds chaotic action film together

The Tamil-language film, directed by Venkat Prabhu, is a convoluted Mission: Impossible clone that entertains purely because of its lead

Vijay's charisma on screen keeps the movie ticking despite its nonsensical plot. Photo: AGS Entertainment

It's Tamil actor Vijay's world and we're all just living in it. Director Venkat Prabhu's newest action drama The Greatest of All Time is the strangest film you'll see this month. On its surface, it's about a spy, played by the South Indian star Vijay, forced out of retirement and in a race against time to stop an impending terror attack.

However, peel through its layers – and there are a lot – and you'll find it's really about Vijay being everything, everywhere, all at once, which should be the definition of the perfect movie for his fans.

For what it's worth, the leading man's singular charisma – a delicate balance of relatable, confidently cocky and hard-boiled action hero – helps viewers reach the finish line, even if they may be confused by the plot's nonsensical twists and turns.

To Vijay's credit, the movie expands his larger-than-life image. Whether delivering his lines, engaging in hand-to-hand combat or breaking the fourth wall to address viewers, which happens quite a few times, he is the man, the moment and, for better or worse, the movie.

Take him out of the equation and you're running on fumes, in a constant and desperate attempt to mitigate crashing to a halt by way of the writers throwing every twist, turn and archetype known to humankind through its engine.

There are moments of respite, of course – the action set-pieces are Mission: Impossible by way of Michael Bay, with a bike chase in its second act feeling the most inspired, both in frame and feeling, to the franchise's sixth instalment Fallout (2018) – but once they end, it's back to business as usual. The narrative becomes progressively baffling to the point that its final scene makes you wonder if you're watching the same movie.

The only constants in this ever-changing narrative are superior turns from Vijay and the supporting cast. Prabhu Deva, Sneha and Prashanth are excellent and lend fantastic support. If there's one person who is clearly having an absolute blast throughout it is Mohan, who gleefully plays to the gallery as the primary antagonist.

Unfortunately, none of them can come close to the towering presence of Vijay, who doesn't just play two characters – that of both father and son – but also ends up often doing a Deadpool with his cheeky one-liners, to the point the closing minutes also end with him winking at the audience, leaving the door wide open for a sequel, and a lot of unanswered questions.

The Greatest of All Time holds a certain degree of its viewers' attention – though driven more by curiosity than anything else. The problem isn't its makers keeping the audience on their toes, however. It's the fact that they're taken for a rollercoaster ride that goes so off the rails you walk out thoroughly stumped.

The Greatest of All Time is screening in cinemas now