‘Dominic and The Ladies’ Purse’ starring actor Mammootty in the titular role as C.I Dominic who is a retired Police Officer who starts a Detective agency in Kochi as a fumbling and instinctive detective who is roped in to find the owner of a missing purse with his new assistant. While the task at hand might seem easy, the tunnel grows with more mystery for the cool headed Detective Dominic to unravel.
‘Dominic and The Ladies’ Purse’ Plot
A Calm and Composed Ex Policeman Dominic (Mammootty) has a small but well advertised detective agency that provides the services like investigating for marriages, extramarital affairs and others through which Dominic pays the rent for his rented home-cum-office. Following his advertisement across the district, Vignesh (Gokul Suresh)comes in for an interview to join as the assistant for Dominic. Without much contemplation, Dominic hires Vicky aka Vignesh, the Watson to the Sherlock and teaches him the skills for a good detective – ‘Observation and Concentration’.
Dominic house owner finds a purse in a local government hospital and asks him to find the owner of it and after much thought he goes on to investigate about the owner who is revealed to be Pooja, a missing woman. Although Dominic found the owner of the purse, he is curious to find out about her and after the insistence of Mrs. Madhuri, his house owner, starts to dig deep only to find that the gaping hole is a well full of skeletons and secrets.
The Positive Aspects
Gautam Vasudev Menon, a seasoned director from Tamil with quiet a good filmography in handling crime thrillers like ‘Vettaiyadu Vilayadu’, ‘Kaakha Kaakha’, ‘Ennai Arindhal’ has delivered a decent Crime thriller that aligns with the pace and screenplay of Malayalam Cinema, that is also not a hero worship or elevation but stays true to the story of Neeraj Rajan and Sooraj Rajan.
Screenplay of ‘Dominic and The Ladies’ Purse’ is a mega plus for the story as Mammootty and Gokul Suresh’s chemistry especially in the multiple humorous scenes has worked out well. The way the story is also elevated with the teasing and growing investigation based on the cool and calm nature of the protagonist.
Wait for The Thrilling Climax 🔥#DominicAndTheLadiesPurse In Cinemas Now#Mammootty #MammoottyKampany #GauthamVasudevMenon @mammukka pic.twitter.com/ewHnuzYX1h
— MammoottyKampany (@MKampanyOffl) January 23, 2025
Mammootty at his forte as a calm and composed detective who has this fun and eccentric side yet never gets out of focus or distracted. The actor looks prim and proper with a mix of style and intelligence, easily carrying the film apart from a very few supporting performances like Gokul Suresh, Sushmitha Bhatt, Viji Venkatesh, Vineeth.
The Negative Aspects
A slow paced first half that introduces all the characters with the scope of being a possible suspect is sprinkled with humour that works at places. With no striking high and lows, except for the parts following intermission, ‘Dominic and The Ladies’ Purse’ sets a stretchy vision for the audience to grip on to for the second half.
Not necessarily a chilling thriller that makes you sit on the edge of the seat but a slow burning ‘investigation thriller’ that portrays the character of Dominic who has Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot like tendencies with a generic sense of humour. Although Dominic is often cracking jokes and references like ‘Wappaachee’s legacy’ or boasting about his days in service, the intention of having a fun filled character like a toned down version Inspector Clouseau doesn’t land at times.
The Verdict
Gautam Vasudevan Menon makes a promising entry into the Malayalam industry with ‘Dominic and The Ladies’ Purse’ that thrills, makes us laugh and surprises with the screenplay. A good watch with family and friends who love a slow paced investigation based crime thriller.
