‘Half’ Review: A Grisly Indian Vampire Western Tumbles Into Excess

TIFF: Samjad’s unique saga of invulnerable, vengeful twins quickly builds and loses steam.

A threadbare vampire western with a hefty side of gore, Malayalam-language oddity “Half” peaks early with its inventive mayhem, but maintains enough intrigue to stay the course. Directed by Samjad, and starring Ranjith Sajeev and Aishwarya Raj as invulnerable twins Ethan and Ivy, the film largely unfolds on a desert roadway, and follows the duo’s streamlined revenge mission against a gang of malicious thieves, who try to kill them — to no avail — and humiliate them, with some lasting emotional impact.

What follows is surprisingly loaded in its socio-political imagery, but never quite varied enough to break free from its repetitive action spiral. It begins with a childhood prologue of the twins’ mother telling them to look after one another before skipping forward several years to a delightful re-introduction. Ethan pulls up to their lush, hillside home in a new car, sleek shades, and pointy incisors glistening in the sunlight. The nonverbal Ivy is quick to start sign-language arguments with her brother, though she has to wear dark glasses of her own. They seem to have a sensitivity to light, but they don’t burn up in the sun, owing to their apparent hybrid lineage. However, the movie’s lore is something left to the imagination.

Elsewhere, a gang of highway bandits cons an unsuspecting family into stopping by the roadside, only to violently kill them, burn their bodies, and strip their car for parts. This clockwork outfit is seemingly successful a second time when they drive Ethan and Ivy off the road, totaling their car before nabbing their belongings and sexually humiliating Ivy — which a seemingly dying Ethan watches from nearby. The duo walks away from this skirmish, though not unscathed, as Samjad quickly and economically sets up a blistering saga of stylish reprisals with no holds barred. Once you’ve established villains made of pure, ruthless evil, pretty much anything goes, though this might’ve led to more satisfying payoffs had its heroes been sketched with any depth beyond the broad strokes of what they suffer.

It isn’t long before the twins start tracking down the dozen perpetrators across the rural landscape, leading to one crisp, sweeping fight scene after another, courtesy of “The Raid 2” fight choreographer Very Tri Yulisman. “Half” hits the ground running with its very first action scenes, involving bare-hand scalpings, deep-fried faces, and bloodied stumps. A subsequent scrape even throws caution to the wind with some pro wrestling moves outta nowhere. It’s a morbid delight, made all the more compelling when the gang actually gets one up on the twins and discovers ways to combat their magical, vengeful savagery.

One such instance involves an iron rod deployed like a phallic object — on Ivy’s torso, mind you, but the symbolism of sexual violence is hard to ignore. It echoes a famous Indian news story about a woman being attacked in a similar manner, which became a rallying cry against rape culture across India; here, it fuels focused, blood-boiling drama that paves the path for righteous ass-kickings, soundtracked by whatever propulsive track happens to be playing through Ivy’s headphones.

Unfortunately, the film’s most inventive moments are in its rearview by the time these setups transpire. Despite its mere 96-minute runtime, “Half” veers into tedium with its action beats, despite establishing rousing reasons for their unspooling. Perhaps more rounded characters might have worked to counterbalance this monotony, but the movie’s leads are only ever dynamic when in motion, and when attempting to deliver gruesome vigilante justice drawn from a cultural well of oppressive cinematic machismo (at least, in the Indian action mainstream). Still, it can’t avoid the temptation to sideline Ivy so her brother can take control of her revenge mission for a while, which doesn’t gel well with its particular undertones.

The movie does make its way back from this detour with some lurid enjoyment in mind — which, for the most part, it executes coherently. It’s these bare minimums that keep “Half” from derailing altogether, and as a film of unapologetic, grisly bloodshed through delightful practical effects, it’s also unique in the Indian landscape. With a visual verve that matches and enhances each movement, Samjad crafts a one-of-its kind, martial arts-inspired horror action road movie that defies easy categorization, and goes for the jugular with its imagery. That’s nothing if not a plus.

Grade: B-

“Half” premiered at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. It is currently seeking U.S. distribution.