Ten Hours (2025): A mystery, minus the thrill

Sibiraj generally chooses stories that are a bit different from the routine, and I was hoping Ten Hours (2025) would follow that trend. In a way, it does, but the execution falls short. What was meant to be a mystery thriller ends up being a flat narrative, let down by weak dialogues and an incoherent screenplay. That said, the film manages to hold on to its central mystery till the climax, which made it somewhat watchable, and the ending was reasonably satisfying. Mangoidiots gives it a Raw.

The film begins with Sibiraj, as Inspector Castro, reflecting on how it’s better to do a job you love in a thrilling way than to work elsewhere. A good start. But what follows is a regular police procedural set over one night. As Inspector Castro unravels each clue, he explains it in detail to his subordinate, played by Gajaraj. These lengthy explanations quickly become tiresome, especially since the camera is already showing us enough to figure things out on our own. Cinema is a visual medium, but here, even the hero’s introduction is done via animation and voiceover—resulting in no emotional connection to his character.

An Omni bus forms the core of the story, with over 20 passengers on board. The director attempts to explain each of them, which feels forced and ends up diluting the main narrative.

The final 10 minutes brings the big reveal, and Ilayaraja Kaliyaperumal manages to tie up all the loose ends. But many of the earlier scenes were too neatly placed just to make this twist possible, taking away any thrill. Since the villain is revealed only in the end, there’s no time to grasp the extent of his motives or evilness—reducing the impact.

At 116 minutes, the film doesn’t overstay its welcome. The background score by KS Sundaramoorthy is a definite plus in an otherwise dull screenplay. Visuals and stunts repeat themselves across scenes and don’t bring anything new.