After taking a breather with the romantic Kaadhal Sadugudu, Vikram is back in the thick of action with Saamy, which casts him as a police officer. The movie faithfully follows the formulae of his earlier hits Dhill and Dhool, giving him a macho image and mixing it with a soft romance and comedy. But his characterization here makes Saamy different from other cop movies.

Aarusaamy(Vikram) is the tough new Deputy Commissioner of Police in Tirunelvely city. He calls himself a rowdy and is ready to take whatever action necessary, legal or not, as long as there is peace in the city. To achieve this he is not averse to accepting bribes from Perumal Pitchai(Kota Srinivasarao), the biggie who has everyone from the police to the politicians on his payroll. Saamy and Bhuvana(Trisha), a Brahmin girl from a conservative family, fall in love. But circumstances force Saamy to cross the line laid down by Perumal Pitchai.

Movies where the hero plays a conscientious policeman have been a dime a dozen in Tamil cinema(though the number seems to have reduced recently with our heroes more willing to play the rowdy). But Saamy has enough differences to avoid seeming like a retread of one of the other movies. The primary reason for this is the way Vikram's character has been shaped. He is a policeman who calls himself a porukki and his actions match his words. He is not averse to receive bribes from the villain, using an illegal gun or allowing a bad guy to be hacked to death by a man he had affected. The way he deals with the villain finally also makes a strong statement and is a fitting end.

The movie shamelessly exploits Vikram's current image with the help of scenarios that don't really fit into the movie. Vikram's introduction is a case in point. Though he is in disguise and digs up some information, he never uses the information later nor does he do anything that he could not have done as a police officer. But the sequence does help him get drunk and indulge in what is fast becoming his trademark introduction song. But his macho image is affected a little by the fact that he doesn't have a strong villain to go up against. Kota Srinivasa Rao seems like a good match in the beginning but looking back, he never really does anything and is all bark and no bite.

The movie is quite fast paced and the other ingredients like romance and comedy don't infringe on the pace too much. The budding romance between Vikram and Trisha is built up quite well with the meetings between them being short and sweet. The different in their castes is not made a big deal of and the scene where he asks for her hand is very well handled. Vivek appears as a forward-minded Brahmin and takes shots at the irrelevance of outdated customs. Though he makes some good points, the fact that he targets a particular community reduces their effectiveness.

Vikram is perfectly at home in the khaki uniform and his delivers his threats and warnings effectively. Trisha looks very pretty and suits the soft-spoken role. Telugu import Kota Srinivasa Rao has the face and body language befitting a villain but has not been put to very good use. Ramesh Khanna has some nice one-liners as Vikram's assistant. Harris Jayaraj makes a mark after a long gap with a strong soundtrack. Aalamaram... is slow but catchy and has some simple but great lyrics about life in the village and Vikram's actions after he becomes a police officer. Tirunelveli Alwaada... is the introduction song while Kalyanamdhaan... is definite to become a hit with its fast beats and enthusiastic singing.