Gooli is an underworld Don, a Robin Hood-type who does many criminal activities for contract and uses the earning to help the poor. Unhappy with his selfless nature and resultant popularity,, his adversaries try to eliminate him several times; predictably, the fail miserably each time, Gooli rises unscathed and displays his benevolent face repeatedly. Remya, a rich college girl is inspired by his selfless and helpful nature. After several interactions, she falls in love with him and decides to marry him. But Gooli, who lives on the threshold of danger, tries to warn her of the risks involved. Sensing that Remya is a vulnerable target through whom Gooli can be attacked, the villains kidnap her; predictably, Gooli saves her, expresses his love for her and they decide to marry; after an unexpected turn of events, all ends well.

The climax sequence is what saves the film from collapsing. Gooli will be remembered for Sudeep's honest and committed performance as Gooli. Had Sathya had taken a little more care in polishing the script, he could have made an unforgettable film like Om or Jogi. Continuity lapses are visible; Mamta  Mohandas gets injured on the forehead but in the next scene, she appears with stitches on her cheek. The movie drags along the second half, creating boredom. But the last fifteen minutes of the film make up for this drag. Almost all the characters deliver punch dialogues. 

Apart from Sudeep who has done an excellent job, the remaining cast has given an ordinary performance. Mamta Mohandas excels in song sequences which give you a feeling of freshness but could have performed better in emotional scenes. On the technical side, Palani Raju's first two fights are well choreographed; camera work by P.L. Ravi goes well with the script but is not stunning. Debut music director Anoop has composed two good songs for the movie but no peppy numbers.

Gooli is a movie which would have touched heights of excellence with minor improvements in all sections but is now just entertaining.