MOVIE REVIEW: GANGS OF LAGOS
Movie Title: Gangs of Lagos
Cast:
Tobi Bakre — Obalola
Chike Ezekpeazu Osebuka — Ify
Adesua Etomi-Wellington — Gift
Bimbo Ademoye — Tenilola
Olarotimi Fakunle — Kazeem
Tayo Faniran — Nino
Chioma Akpotha — Mama Ify
Yvonne Jegede — Nino’s girlfriend
Funke Williams — Blessing
Iyabo Ojo — Babalola’s mother
Temidayo Omoniyi ‘Zlatan’ — Cash
Alabi Otedola ‘Pasuma’ — London
Toyin Abraham — Mrs. Bamidele
Debo Adedayo ‘Mr Macaroni’ — Wemimo
Young Oba — Maleek Sanni
Young Ify — Oluwanifemi Lawal
Young Gift — Small Mummy
Crew:
Director: Jade Osiberu
Producers: Jade Osiberu | Kemi Lala Akindoju
Co-producer: Akin Omotosho
Writers: Kay I. Jegede | Jade Osiberu
Genre: Crime | Drama | Thriller
Production: PrimeVideo | Jade Osiberu
Runtime: 2 hours, 4 minutes
Date of release: 7th April, 2023
Plot: Gangs of Lagos is a crime action thriller that tells the story of three friends: Obalola, Ify and Gift, brought up in Isale Eko and how they navigate life growing up. It’s a crime thriller that explores themes of betrayal, loyalties and rivalries, crime and violence, love, and survival.
Review:
This movie kicks off at a regular day in Isale Eko, and in this scene, we see young Obalola and his two best friends Ify and Gift caught right in the heart of Isale Eko where it’s a rough mass of people stuck in traffick. And of course what stands out in this scene is how Obalola pulls out a knife to rob a woman of her bag, thereby earning the right of “Eleniyan” among his best friends.
The narrator goes on to explain a couple of scenes, which is the first thing I love about this movie. They took us on a journey, and explained every step of the way to us. In the early days of this journey, we got to see Kazeem, Nino (who later became a father figure to Obalola) as well as the Eleniyan in Isale Eko, who was the problem-solver in that space. We also got to see the opposing gang, led by London.
We got a break into the heart of the story here: gangs and gang rivalry, political rivalry and godfatherism, and how the big ups exploit the young ones for their own profit, especially through these gangs.
Some of my favourite parts about Gangs of Lagos
• It goes without saying that character development is a key part of any story, and suffice it to say that this particular story did not disappoint in that area. From the very beginning, a connection was set, with the voice over that explained and led us to see more about the characters, and they held it down till the end. We got full backstories — which is equally important — of most of the characters and we understood why they did what they did.
• Another favourite thing for me is the casting. Honestly, this is probably my favourite thing about the movie. Yes, the casting is that good. Personally, I don’t like star-studded movies where at the end of the day, they’re all fighting to shine, thereby overpowering the beauty of the movie. That was not the case in Gangs of Lagos. And I’ll be highlighting some of my favourite characters and why.
But even before that, I love the inclusivity, as well as the new faces. Seeing Zlatan, Chike, and Black Kamoru in this movie put a big smile on my face. Seeing how they aced the roles brought an even bigger smile to my face.
Zlatan was definitely the right people person for the role he was cast in. He had the whole “street, Isale Eko” demeanour and he brought his A-game to this movie. I definitely look forward to seeing him in more movies.
Black Kamoru, I didn’t recognize at first, or just didn’t remember where I knew him. But the moment I heard “across the river,” I screamed because I remembered him from way back as this comedy interpreter. But that’s not even the point. He was “Terrible” in this movie and I daresay he lived up to his name. He did well.
My favourite character in this movie has to be Chioma Chukwuka Akpotha. She made me cry. From the beginning when I saw who she was casted as, I smiled. She took me on a journey. She was the perfect “mama Ify.” And the scene at the church? Exceptional. Nothing short of stellar.
Other actors that stood out for me are Chike, who I was really glad to see. He was such a sweet boy. And Blessing, his girlfriend. Someone should give her her flowers, please. It was my first time seeing her in a movie and she ATE her role. Iyabo Ojo was phenomenal. The few scenes she acted completely gave the typical African mother vibes.
Shout-out to the actors whose face we’re used to already as well: Tobi Bakre, Bimbo Ademoye, and Adesua Etomi did exceptionally well. Stellar, indeed. And the child actors! I was so glad to see the magic they created.
Oh, I could go on and on when it comes to the casting. But I didn’t really have any issues there. Indeed, they all did well.
• One of my favourite things about this movie was the setting. This wasn’t one of the “trenches” movies where they do everything except bring in the trenches. This movie was basically set in the right place. We saw people, we felt people, we felt the spirit of Isale Eko, the conversations and everything just felt right. Massive kudos to them on that one.
• The cinematography, effects, lighting, soundtrack and everything about the production was also on point. The camera movement, the way they told the story with the cameras. (For the first time, I wanted to know the behind the scenes guys.) They made me see a lot. And my favourite scene in this movie was when Chioma Akpotha gave that speech in the church. I saw how the camera movement changed from the bottom when she started and rose to show her full glory at the time she was done. (Full disclosure: I watched that scene over and over again.)
• I also really love the plot, the storyline, the themes explored, and the twist at the end. Honestly, I hate cliffhangers or movies ending that way, but here, I wholeheartedly accept that ending and yes, I can’t wait to see the next part of this movie. I’ll confess that I was shocked at first seeing Bimbo Ademoye cast as Teni, but with that ending, I can say I understand that decision a whole lot more.
I also love the fact that even though the storyline was clear, they made me feel. I laughed a lot while watching this, I cried, I was angry, and I was always waiting to see what happened next. Yes, my emotions were playing with me, and I love that about this one.
The storyline was compelling, it was relatable, and a little close to home, considering the recently concluded elections here in Nigeria and how the happenings are similar. The nitty-gritty, the underground doings, corruption, and gang rivalry was brought to light.
Ohhh, yes, I absolutely loved the little romance we got between Teni and Obalola. It makes the plot thicken as the part 2 won’t be funny in that aspect. And finally on the plot, this wasn’t rushed, per say. It’s obvious that a lot of research and hard work was put in behind the scenes. A 10 for me.
• I loved the vulnerability in this movie. I don’t know how to explain it but it’s a crime thriller, right? So why did they make me feel so in tune with Obalola and his guys even though they had their flaws. I love the storytelling in this movie and how I was able to see through the main characters and root for them.
• Finally, I’d say that I always fast forward stunts and fighting scenes in Nollywood, (I’m sorry, it’s a second hand embarrassment issue) but I was glued in this case, actually. They did really well with the fighting scenes, and they were a lot. Of course, there’s room for improvement, but this was better than 90% of the fighting scenes in Nollywood that I’ve seen yet. Who did the injuries by the way? Wow! Amazing stuff.
Some of what I did not like about this movie
• I’ll start with the detailing. This movie was great, that’s a given. I mean I had to watch it two times to be able to give an accurate review: first as a watcher, and then as a reviewer, lol. If I didn’t do that, I’d have missed out on this first point. The little details matter, no matter what. And that’s one thing this movie didn’t really give in.
I’ll start with the littlest details, like Ify’s hair, changing in one night. I mean, yes, he had a performance later that night, but where was the time to make a new hair when we literally saw him minutes ago?
• There was also the issue of the scars on Obalola’s back, which honestly is understandable. I can not imagine how many times he had to cast the role with his shirt off, so remaking the scars wouldn’t have been easy, but then there’s also the issue of consistency. That’s that though.
• Another issue I had was the scene where Wemimo was killed. Their slaughterhouse. My main issue there was confusion. Were those human bodies by the side and animal meat by the other side? This one was just confusion, honestly. I took the scene back a couple of times, and it seems as if that were the case.
• Not to be fussy, but something that didn’t sit quite well with me as well was the final battle. Oh yes, I love how Ekun’s team teamed up with Babalola’s. I loved the reveal. What I didn’t understand was how Kazeem didn’t see what was happening under his nose till the very end. I mean his goods were stolen. His personal handman, Terrible, was nowhere to be found. He should have suspected something, at the very least.
• Finally on this, I really didn’t want to mention this, all things considered, but the dialogue, (specifically the Yoruba speaking part was a little issue as well.) Take a moment to compare Kashope’s Yoruba to Gift’s. You get it now.
Final verdict.
To everyone who worked on this movie, I promise you, your work is not in vain. This is an honest-to-God wonderful watch. A must watch, actually. Jade Osiberu and the rest of the crew did so well, and my eyes are on her. I’m watching anything that comes from her, lol. That aside though, this movie covers a whole lot of topics, and it’s not boring, neither is it unrealistic. If you haven’t watched this, I definitely recommend, definitely do.
Ratings: 8.5/10
Credit: Grace Ahuoiza Malik
Twitter: @shadesofgracee_