Going by the number of crime thrillers and police procedurals set in the high ranges of Kerala, it would appear that our pristine hills are riddled with criminality and brutality. Debutant director Martin Joseph’s Dridam is also set in one such rural outpost in the hills, but the police station here is a rather peaceful place with no major criminal cases. When rookie cop Vijay (Shane Nigam) takes charge, he is taken in by the pleasant atmosphere in the neighbourhood.

But soon it all changes for the worse with the recovery of a putrefied dead body, followed by robbery at a local bank. Calmness gives way to tension as Vijay and his colleagues come under immense pressure from the higher-ups as well as the public to solve the cases. Despite its laboured opening sequences, including a lengthy introduction scene involving Vijay and the other cops, this initial set up appeared promising enough.

Director Martin Joseph, a former assistant director of Jeethu Joseph, mostly sticks to the usual rhythm and turns we are used to seeing in police procedurals in recent years. At times, one gets the sense of a film progressing on autopilot. Even when there are some intriguing reveals at various points, much of it does not land with the desired impact. The writing by Linto Devasia and Jomon John, as well as the staging of the scenes, seems responsible in equal measure for this state of affairs.

All that quiet progress appears to have been aimed at taking the audience by surprise in the last act, which does have a very effective reveal, although some can sense it from miles ahead. But the effect is marred rather quickly when the film switches to an extreme violence mode. Even looking away from the screen might not be of help, for the sound of a sharp iron rod piercing into human flesh multiple times can be as sickening to listen to. It almost seems like a calculated assault targeting the current market for hyper violence, which the makers probably hoped would carry the film home. Not many are likely to fall for it.

Though Shane Nigam played a similar rookie cop in Priyadarshan’s Corona Papers (2023), he carries the role slightly differently here, radiating the vulnerability and hot-headedness of a newbie in a challenging position. The supporting cast, except Shobi Thilakan, has only a functional purpose.

Dridam has phases where it shows promise of becoming something. However, it only ends up becoming an underwhelming affair.

Dridam is currently running in theatres