The opening of Eleven pulls you right in. It’s dark, eerie, and quiet, with a black car creeping down an empty road. A creepy owl turns its head, and ominous music begins to build. Then, a mysterious figure steps out, and you hear each heavy boot hit the ground as they pour some flammable liquid over a body and set it on fire. This sets the tone for Naveen Chandra’s new crime thriller, where a cop is hot on the trail of a serial killer. The first few minutes set up the killer’s methodical approach, almost too neatly. From here, you expect the movie to take a wild turn, but unfortunately, it takes the easy route instead. We get a bank robbery, a heroic slo-mo introduction of ACP Aravindan (Naveen), complete with dramatic music and swagger. Naturally, he solves the case in no time. Up until the intermission, the film sticks pretty closely to the tried-and-true formula, even though it starts with an intriguing premise.
The story is about tracking down a psychopath with a high IQ, and ACP Aravindan is given the near-impossible task of stopping more people from becoming victims before it’s too late. For the first 20 minutes, we get to know Aravindan, a smart detective who values working efficiently over putting in endless hours. One of the bad guys even comments that Aravindan always manages to solve the cases he’s given. But here’s the problem, the film feels too predictable. The pacing is slow, with the detectives either finding leads that don’t lead anywhere or hitting dead ends. There’s no big “Aha!” moment, no intense clues that make you sit up in your seat. It’s a bit of a drag. It takes a while for the film to get to anything exciting, and even though the climax offers some much-needed answers, it’s not enough to make up for the sluggish first half.
What stands out in this film is how director Lokesh AJJLS manages to plant small clues that don’t quite make sense until the very end. It’s a nice touch, but here’s the issue: The director spends so much time trying to outsmart the audience that he forgets to actually keep them engaged. The motive behind the murders is where the story should pack a punch, but when the killer’s backstory is revealed during a flashback, it feels too predictable. The film tries to make us feel sympathy for the killer, but it never quite succeeds. The problem isn’t with the concept—it’s that the writing doesn’t bring the emotional depth it needs to. Without a strong emotional connection, the movie just doesn’t hit as hard as it should.
One thing Eleven misses is the fun of having us constantly second-guess the story. There are no clever misdirections, no red herrings that make you doubt everything you thought you knew. The investigation just goes in one of two directions: a new lead or a dead end. It’s not until the final 30 minutes that things finally start to pick up, and there are a few twists thrown in. But by then, it’s a little too late. After 90 minutes of slow-moving buildup, the twist doesn’t feel like a game-changer, it just feels like a necessary plot point to wrap things up.
Despite all of this, Naveen Chandra’s performance as ACP Aravindan is a bright spot in the film. He’s charismatic and carries the film on his shoulders, despite the lackluster supporting cast. While Abhirami and Dhilipan do what they can with their limited roles, the other characters who should’ve added depth to the story just fall flat.
In the end, Eleven tries to be a standout thriller with a fresh idea, but it ends up getting bogged down by predictability and missed opportunities. A great thriller keeps you on your toes, not just with twists, but with an emotional journey. Eleven has all the right pieces, but it never quite puts them together in a way that hits home. In a genre that thrives on suspense, sometimes the real crime is not being able to keep the audience hooked.
