Naga Chaitanya's latest theatrical outing, Custody, a supposedly intense police action thriller released in theaters today. The film was aggressively promoted by the team. Here's our review of the cop thriller.

Story: Constable Siva(Chaitanya) is assigned to escort a witness(Aravind Swamy) from police custody to the courtroom. As a twist in the plot, Siva learns that the entire police department wants the witness dead and starts the real run.

What about the actors' performances? 

Naga Chaitanya has undergone a minor makeover for the role of an upright cop. He looks alright in this role. He does his best to deliver to his best capabilities in this challenging role. Aravind Swamy as a wily old witness looks good and he emotes well. Krithi Shetty is fine in the formulaic role. The rest of the cast deliver to the best of their abilities. 

What about the technical finesse?

The director Venkat Prabhu is known for slick action thrillers. But this time around, he struggles to deliver a winning screenplay as he laces the presentation with far too many distractions. The lousy love drama track and the poorly penned investigation track work against the cause. 

The background score for the film is of okayish quality but the songs are a big letdowm. The visual presentation is good as there are many slick action shots.

Analysis:

Custody is a half baked action thriller that falters more times than it impresses. The worst part is that there are far too many distractions from the core plot that bore the audience to the core.

Had the unnecessary subplots been eliminated, the film would have made for a far more compelling watch. The love track between the lead pair is disastrous and it tests the patience of the audience. 

The opening half literally has no story and the narrative is headless chicken as it wanders in all directions. We don't even get a knack of the basic proceedings here.

The climax is underwhelming as well and it doesn't have any substance. The big reveal towards the end turns out to be a damp squib.

Verdict: Custody is a poorly presented cop drama with far too many unnecessary subplots to make for a good watch. It falters in almost every aspect and the minimal thriller offered are undone by the shabby screenplay that follows.

Rating: 2/5