Set in Himachal Pradesh, animal rescuer and coffee shop owner Parthiban (Vijay) becomes a local hero after rescuing the town from a Hyena attack. An unrelated incident in his coffee shop gets unwarranted attention from the world and hence, media. Brothers Anthony Das (Sanjay Dutt) and Harold Das (Arjun Sarja), who hear about Parthiban, assume him to be Leo Das (Vijay), the former’s son. With guns blazing, they land in the tiny town to find out if Parthiban is Leo.
Parthiban (Vijay) lives in a snow globe world, which consists of his wife Sathya (Trisha) and two children. A slight crack lets in some air into his perfect world and what follows is a cyclone that completely shatters the globe. Can Parthiban save his family and rebuild the picture-perfect snow globe?
Brothers Anthony Das (Sanjay Dutt) and Harold Das (Arjun Sarja) run a tobacco business as a front to their illegal drug business. Anthony’s son, Leo (Vijay) is one of the most powerful ground workers who ensures smooth running of drugs from one place to another. A harrowing incident causes fire in the tobacco factory, thus killing Leo. Cut to 20 years later, the Das brothers find out about Parthiban and his uncanny resemblance to Leo. Did Leo fake his own death to become Parthiban or are they two different people who simply look alike, is what forms the crux of the story.
Despite having an ensemble of actors, Leo is a one-man show. Vijay is terrific in the film, as Parthiban, as well as Leo. He keeps the audience guessing if he is really Parthiban or a Leo who has turned Parthiban right up to the climax. The scenes are wonderfully carved to keep the audience glued to the screens till the last minute. The pre-climax scene takes the cake. Writing is a bit inconsistent, but Vijay’s charm and performance make it a believable outing. He has outperformed himself as he gets to be an out-and-out ‘badass’ Leo Das, a break from his casual, quirky, playful outings. He shines as dad, husband who is fighting an internal battle, but still keeps looking out of the bedroom window, just to ensure that no harm comes his way.
What Leo lacks in this film, is a strong, towering villain. Though Arjun Sarja matched up to Vijay’s energy, the latter’s screen presence is very limited.
At the beginning of the film, Lokesh tells us that the story is inspired by David Cronenberg’s A History Of Violence, thus preparing the audience to be taken to an action-filled violent world. Lokesh’s previous films of LCU, Kaithi and Vikram, were strictly action films, though Vikram did have a small opening for family sentiment. But here, Lokesh dwells into family sentiment and equations, which disrupt the high-octane action flow. Leo is a trademark Lokesh Kanagaraj film with visible star service effects. The film creates for a visually compelling world of antagonists, but doesn’t give them a strong platform to stick to. Despite having performers like Sanjay Dutt and Arjun Sarja, the film lacks a good climax showdown between protagonist and the antagonists. Anirudh’s music peaks in the second half. A slow song in the first half and the much-hyped ‘Naa Ready Daan’ in the second half, keeps the movie balanced thus also setting the tone of the movie. The action sequences in the first half required a little more BGM energy.
Lokesh has chosen a well-known and age-old and tried and tested ‘hero in exile’ story and has embellished it with creative action-packed sequences. While one can guess where the movie is going within half an hour after entering the theatre, Lokesh shines in his ‘innovative violence and action sequences’. The hyped Hyena scene fails to leave an impact in the first half, but the blood-thirsty animal comes for a perfect revenge act in the second half.
Trisha plays more than just a perfect partner, and thankfully, she is more than just an arm candy here. Her role gets the right kind of attention. Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Sarja, Priya Anand, Gautam Vasudev Menon, Mysskin get good credit marks for acing their roles, but their performance is dimmed amid the towering presence of Leo Das aka Vijay.
Though the whole ‘LCU’ part looks forced, one can say that with Leo, Lokesh has a strongest shot in his arm for the next franchise. Lokesh and Vijay’s Leo is a lot ‘bloody’ than ‘sweet’. Leo’s roar may not be at its peak here, but, hey! it is still a Lion!