Gangs of Lagos

I watched this as a Westerner - imagine the experience might be different for those versed in Nollywood.

The first half of the film is solid - a brothers-from-the-streets tale of organised crime of the kind that you've seen a dozen times before, but the Lagos setting and solid performances (at least from the leads) help it stand out. The second half limps home though. As the action ramps up the plot becomes increasingly threadbare, as it seems does the budget. It's telling of this decline that - bizarrely - a large chunk of the final showdown is very obviously greenscreened, despite just having a generic rooftop background. Without the grounding in the Lagos streets that carries the opening, the latter stages just feel like a very low budget US action flick.

What can I say. I seen this advertised as a must watch film. Advertised as English language so much to my surprise when it was barely 10% English but I thought ahhhh still looks good so I'll stick it out

For the best part it's a very strong storyline, the characters are believable. Some of the fight scenes are so bad they're good like they flip over and fall without any impact whatsoever which makes me think of old school Japanese movies.

A few plot holes and some characters not really developed enough to really understand the anger but overall a very enjoyable film.

Only gripe I have is some of the dialogue was a bit fast on the subtitles so I found myself pausing to read or rewinding to catch the full statement because it was being done at the same time as an action sequence that I also wanted to watch.

I am reviewing this with a balanced view of Western & Nigerian enthusiasm - this is the best Nigerian movie I have watched in a decade. Follow me...

THE STORY I spent my early years in Lagos (born and bred) and could see the realities portrayed in this masterpiece. I often left the comfort of my safer part of Lagos to visit the parts of Lagos (Isale Eko, Mushin, Oshodi), where you can see the hustle and bustle of those that lived the lives portrayed by this movie - the story, the language, mannerism and style of fight is accurate. In my teenage, I had seen a couple of 'Ify's' collecting 'illegal' tax from market women while maintaining a level of 'law and order' the Nigerian Police could not keep in those localities.

THE ACTING This is a Nigerian movie that was as close to accurate as it gets in portraying how a Nigerian would walk, talk, think and fight. This is on point. Trying to overdo the choreography would have taken the originality away.

THE MESSAGE The message of how some people grow up in such tougher parts of Lagos and get to embrace that life without necessarily trying to escape the dangers is real. The political exploitation of those foot soldiers is as accurate as it gets as well - 'touts' and 'area boys' as we call them fighting for 'leaders' and 'political parties' they have been told to believe in. The influence cannot be overemphasised.

Well done to the cast. I have ensured no spoilers are in this review so that can go and watch it for yourself.

Gangs of Lagos reminded us of Jade's Brotherhood, having similar energies and location spots. The movie was more advanced in terms of quality; it wasn't bad at all, just could have benefited from a robust screenplay to make a bigger impact

DELICIOUS

-Jade Osiberu=quality and originality, and that's what we got. Gangs of Lagos, just like Brotherhood, are never-before-seen scripts in Nollywood, so bravo Jade for pushing the envelope!

Sound design, photography, sound engineering, and score were on the plus side. They radiated the Lagos vibe making us feel like we were navigating the rough streets with Oba and his friends.

-We can never get tired of Tobi Bakre, Adesua Wellington is a sweetheart, and first time seeing Chike Osebuka, he has great potential.

Tayo Faniran and Olarotimi Fakunle take home the awards; they were elegant and notorious at the same time. The kind of people you don't want to be stuck in a room with😅

How can we miss Chioma Akpotha's performance? She was the lovable and dramatic African mother who rejoiced, danced, and also got very emotional

-It was humbling to walk in the shoes of these three friends who were trapped in a life of violence and bloodshed yet aspired for a better life.

BLAND

-Oba, Ify, and Gift were childhood best friends, however, we didn't feel a strong chemistry between them.

There wasn't that inspiring camaraderie or strong attachment you'd expect from people who've gone through thick and thin together. They acted more like common friends

-The fighting sequences, though much improved, needed a further push, especially during the closing scene between Oba and his opponent

-Why did the camera operator capture a close shot of Ekun's fake beard?😖We were so impressed with the beard until the close-up shots revealed it was fake...

-Because Gangs of Lagos was a story we've seen before, it was easy to predict the end from the beginning.

It would have made a huge difference to add something new to the table, e.g. Design Teni in a more sophisticated way, have the three friends lock horns with each other, or end in a manner that signaled the battle wasn't over.

Something out of the ordinary would have elevated Gangs of Lagos to greater standards.

Gangs of Lagos

Every year, Nollywood releases ambitious blockbuster movies but many of them fail to deliver and end up just being a stellar cast with poor plots and direction. Gangs of Lagos doesn't offer anything new, as its subject matter is one that has had several iterations, but the cinematography, acting and locations help it soar.

The biggest issue with Gangs of Lagos would be its plot, it starts off strong but by its second half it trickles and becomes threadbare. The three friends who form the main leads also don't have much chemistry, this isn't a fault of the actors though but of the little time we spend with them as a trio.

The fight scenes are done well and bear resemblance to how fights are staged in Isale Eko. The violence and gore portrayed is also convincing. The problem comes with how the scenes are shot; the moves aren't filmed fluidly and the sound effects aren't always in sync, the overreliance on slow motion is also irking (gives off vibes that they don't trust the audience can see what they're doing).

For all the flaws of Gangs of Lagos, casting isn't one of them. There's barely any form of lacklustreness, even from the amateur and new faces. Adesua Etomi Wellington finally gets a movie that stretches her from her comfort zone, and it's delightful seeing her as a devious tomboy. Chioma Akpotha delivers as a Nigerian mother with as much love as drama; her monologue in the church is one that audiences won't forget. Chike Osebuka as the part-time gangster part-time musician is endearing and believable, and Tobi Bakre also gives a performance worthy of his protagonist status. Other acts like Bimbo Ademoye, Zlatan, Pasuma, Iyabo Ojo, Tayo Faniran also gave impassioned performances.

Giving how the themes of corruption, ghetto life, political thuggery were portrayed, the performances of the cast, the cinematography and the locations, Gangs of Lagos is a step in the right direction for Nollywood.

6.5-7/10.