The Stoneman Murders - Review

A string of murders, a shunned cop and a cat & mouse game is what this movie is all about.

The Stoneman Murders takes you back to the 1983, when a manic killer was on the loose in Mumbai's Matunga-Dadar area, with no clues on who he was, each murder being a cold-blooded stone attack, spreading fear amongst all.

This is the story of Sanjay Shelaar (KK), a cop taken off the "Pathharmaar" case, doing his parallel research & attempting to solve the case by himself. It is a wild goose chase between him & the unknown caped killer.
Along the way, he encounters multiple murders, dark alleyways, eerie highways and a thrilling ride to the finish.
This movie had all the makings to be an absolutely intense, edge-of-the-seat Thriller and it somewhat makes it there, missing by just a little.

The first half moves pretty quickly, taking you through the investigations and Sanjays obsession with the case, while the second half is more of the chase between the killer and him.
The film definitely has its moments, especially the shots with the murders and the railway station chase sequences, leaving you thrilled and wanting more.

Where the movie falters is the slow narrative towards the end. Even though the twists and suspense do make a good end, it could have been showed in a much better way. Also, an item number in the first half, which could definitely be avoided or atleast cut down on.

Of the performances, KK as the obsessive cop delivers an absolute knockout performance, reaffirming once again, that he can carry a movie on his shoulders. He fits the bill perfectly and one can say that he is the heart of the movie, raising the overall standard of the film.
Vikram Gokhale as the AIG is good, while Rukhsar as KK's wife is wasted. She looks great in the movie but struggles to act. The scene with her changing being absolutely unnecessary. Veerendra Saxena as the constable is also one of the highlight performances, while Arbaaz Khan shows yet again that acting is not his forte, truly a misfit for the role.

The background score is abrupt sometimes, apt sometimes but the one special mention here is for director Manish Gupta. This product is definitely a fine piece of work & just some adjustments here and there would have made this a brilliant thriller. With a promising start, one waits to see his future work.

So for those who want to go get themselves a conspiracy theory, some amazing performances & a suspenseful thriller, do go watch The Stoneman Murders.
At the box office, the movie would struggle, and I doubt it would last more than a week with Delhi 6 next Friday. So please do watch it before the 20th.

Critical : 3.5/5
Commercial : 2/5