CRIMINAL /// MOVIE REVIEW

How far can you go to secure a release for a loved one who ab initio had been convicted of a crime, serving jail term or awaiting trial? Is it better to leave them to face the full wrath of the law? Or would you pull some strings at your disposal to get them released with the hopes that they’d turn a new leaf upon gaining their freedom?

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Don’t mean to exaggerate, but this movie had me sit at the edge of my seat from the start. It was nerve-wracking, adrenaline pumping, heart palpitating…like gbim-gbim gbim-gbim!!! It's been a while since a Nollywood film had me like this. The opening scenes were really fast-paced, and I loved it!

PLOT

Fighting for his life having sustained gunshot wounds, Uzor, together with his three-man gang, rushes his brother Chima to a nearby hospital (Greenleaf Hospital) owned and run by Dr. Amara Nwachukwu.

The entire staff, in-patients and visitors at the hospital which hitherto had been overwhelmed by the influx of victims from a nearby ghastly motor accident scene would then be held hostage by Uzor and his gang demanding that Chima alone be treated at all cost, threatening thunder and brimstone if no one does their bidding.

Racing against time and faced with a medical dilemma, Dr. Amara would then be forced to make a difficult decision, the oath she swore by virtue of her profession staring her in the face.

The decision(s) : Save a dying pregnant woman who requires an urgent Caesarean Section to give the baby a chance at survival on one hand, and/or save a criminal at the verge of death who has already lost so much blood.

MY TAKE

This hostage action-drama sort of left no stone unturned as the producers and directors utilised all the arsenal within their reach to execute an incredible story, giving viewers an unforgettable viewing experience! THIS, this is what I’m talking about!

I particularly loved the strong use of flashbacks and even flashback-in-flashback in the storytelling. It made for a really tight plot for the most parts answering questions that had already built up in one’s head - the suspense cleared out quite naturally. All the actors aced their performances in their own ways.

A great lesson to learn here is “…don’t judge a book by its cover!” Dr. Amara already condemned Chima to be a criminal without prior knowledge of the true situation of things. I guess she tagged him cause of his brother Uzor and his demeanor. Named and shamed by association!

The display of fierce leadership by Dr. Amara needs to be studied. Exactly what we expect of our political leaders. She stood up to the criminal gang, fearless, astute, bold, courageous yet professional!

A special applause for Funlola. She embodied that role…like she took it personally.

I appreciate the subtle mention of Chimamanda Adichie’s “Purple Hibiscus” That was clever.

This movie was absolutely incredible and interesting to watch. Amazing cinematography, believable injury details, great sounds, and props. However, to be brutally honest, I didn’t like that hair on Dr. Amara on her first appearance.

Uzor’s performance felt a bit underwhelming in some of the scenes. What was all that F-ing about? In my opinion, the F-word was used excessively and was as unnecessary as it was mechanical. It seemed forced…like must he use the F word? And some of his lines sounded repetitive.

Nevertheless, he did manage to pull off his role, especially when he got really emotional. He gave us the Uzor-effect. I just love his persona!

Furthermore, for a case of that magnitude (hospital hostage), one would have expected the press and bloggers would have flooded and mounted their cameras and all outside of the hospital for all full coverage to update online users to reflect this social media era. Outside of the hospital was dry with just a handful of people doing God-knows-what!

The scene showing how Uzor ended proved some porosity in the plot. He had already been injected with a ‘fast-reacting paralytic’, why the excessively sporadic shots by the police special force? Why did they follow him all the way down the stairs and outside only to unleash millions of bullets on him?

I was thrilled to hear veteran actor Segun Arinze speak the Igbo language in this film as he played the role of the Police Commissioner, Okafor. It’s a similar role to the one he played in Stan Nze and Alex Ekubo’s “Afamefuna”.

I, however, was expecting to see him again at the end of the movie to see his reaction for how Uzor ended up mostly because of the instruction he gave to his men. Or did I miss it.

Be that as it may, this movie is well worth the watch and was an absolute piece of art! Weldone to all the cast and crew! I’ll recommend this.

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