So Prakash is an academically brilliant cop fresh out of the academy, but, having had zero field experience, he gets scared too easily. What happens when he gets paired with a veteran, no-nonsense cop to a high profile serial killer case??

Por thozhil is brilliant. It follows two cops on an operation to capture a serial killer. It is less of an investigative thriller, which is still a well made portion of the flick, and more a story of two men - both vastly different and contrasted, but forced to play mentor-mentee. It is a story about how they DONT overcome their differences and DONT end up agreeing with each other, how they stick to their respective life choices and views while still working together efficiently enough to take down a dreaded serial killer.

The characterisation is superb. Pradeep is the academic bookworm who dreams of making it big as a police officer. He is scared and timid and messes things up in the beginning. He cannot look at dead bodies without puking and he makes unnecessary comments that have no place in a conversation with a respected senior. By the end of the movie, he still gets scared but can overcome it. He learns to use his skills to his advantage and makes mature decisions and observations that impress his senior. Loganathan is a veteran but arrogant cop who no one can stand. Not even his seniors. He believes he is better off working alone and chides his junior Pradeep for being too academic. By the end of the movie he is still arrogant and cannot be stood by anyone, even doctors. But he is completely willing to work with his junior, an opportunity that Pradeep accepts immediately. It is in a way, a coming together of a perfectly mismatched couple and is a treat to watch.

Another great thing about Por Thozhil is the setups. There are so many of them. And they all have satisfactory payoffs too. Consider the conversation our heroes have in a car while in a stakeout. Loganathan tells Pradeep that it is not fear that makes someone a coward. It is running away from a situation due to fear that makes someone a coward. The payoff for this is fantastic. It happens all the way at the end and look out for this, it is a hoot worthy moment if there ever was one. Another example is the constant theme of abuse that keeps running throughout the movie. Our heroes disagree over whether abused people tend to become criminals and whether the knowledge that someone is abused should be cause for pity. Prakash does think so but when push comes to shove, he puts three extra rounds into the bad guy despite having killed him with a single shot. It's moments like these that make movies interesting and unfortunately, most modern movies don't have them

Finally, the movie doesn't shove anything down the audiences throats. Just like the question of pity for the abused criminal, other topics such as the significance of academics and experience are brought up and the two characters disagree. But that's it. There's no one winner to the argument. The both get their moments and the audience is left to decide which is better. Please moviemakers, take notes.

You know a movie is good when everything it tries comes off. The laughs come off, the thrilling sequences are actually thrilling and the payoffs are supremely satisfying. With Por Thozhil, you know that it is a well made movie when you start clapping by the time the end credits start rolling. This is probably the first movie I've rated 10 and may be the only one for a long time yet.