Operation Mayfair

Story: A serial killer strikes back in London after laying low for three years. The investigating detective has since resigned from the job but is brought back to crack the case. Will he manage to capture the culprit?

Review: When a female celebrity, fashion model Sarah Jones, is killed in London, all hell breaks loose as it implies a serial killer has struck again after staying dormant for a few years. As DCI Lisa Varma (Vedeika Dutt) handles the case, she requests to bring in Detective Amar Singh (Jimmy Sheirgill), who was investigating the crime in the past. Amar is on a hiatus and has become an Architecture professor at Oxford University. The film is not a mystery or suspense thriller since the serial killer’s identity is already out in the open, and the premise deals with the cat-and-mouse chase between the culprit and the cop.

The movie’s opening sequence shows promise, portraying the first kill and a slickly shot dark song. However, the narrative soon loses steam as characters are introduced. Throughout its runtime of 120 minutes, it’s a battle of wits as the serial killer tries to outsmart the detectives while hiding in plain sight.

A crime drama about a serial killer on the loose needs a taut and engaging narrative. While the premise of Operation Mayfair is interesting, a tighter screenplay and direction would have helped. The serial killer Kevin Da Costa’s (Ankur Bhatia) backstory is underdeveloped and does not convince one of the psychological damage he faces. The pursuit and escape scenes lack the edge-of-the-seat quality, and all the events unfold too conveniently. One has seen this set up too many times – a jaded detective overly invested in the case and trying to save his family from breaking and who goes against the system and uses his unconventional ways to solve the case.

Santonion Terzio’s cinematography and the movie’s visual appeal deserve mention. The director of photography captures the gloomy milieu befitting a psychological thriller, the crime scenes, and London’s panoramic beauty well.

Jimmy Sheirgill is known for his stellar acting and doesn’t disappoint here, either. He also looks the part of a weary detective. Ankur Bhatia makes a sincere effort, especially in the menacing parts. Hritiqa Sheebar as the in-house criminal psychologist, and Vedieka Dutt are passable.

Operation Mayfair doesn’t have much to offer in terms of story. Its slow pace and loose narrative take away from the appeal of serial killer fare. One may as well skip a trip to the theatre for this one.