88

An entertaining political thriller on the surface and an examination of racism and its many facets and disturbing history underneath. A rather unique and ambitious film with great performances that stays with you long after it ends. Highly recommended.

Political drama "88" aims to be more eye-opening than the likes of "Irresistible" or "The Ghost Writer" - lofty & noble ambition, that it totally fails to meet as its plodding on-the-nose 2hr+ screenplay is poorly delivered by a virtually unknown cast (William Fichtner a minor exception). Super-PAC finance chief Brandon Victor Dixon discovers that 75% of funding for black presidential candidate Orlando Jones comes anonymously from white supremacist sources. Cue questions on 'Who' & 'How' (tho infuriatingly no-one asks 'Why' (to save the 'punchline' til the end - sigh)). Writer / director Eromose may have an important message to relay... but this ain't how to relay it.

These reviews are hilarious. They've been written by spammers and bots. Each review is vague and meaningless. One reviewer wrote the following; "The director's debut features Idris Elba, before he became a planet". Someone was obviously paid to write a review in their native language and google translate was utilized to provide an English translation. We know people do this all the time. Idris Elba does not STAR in this film nor is he affiliated with this product. 88's review section is a perfect of the content you will find in this film. It is an incoherent mess with a ludicrous plot and immensely deceptive messaging. Orlando Jones couldn't save this. Every plot point was so basic and predictable. The biggest problem with this movie is that it's fantasy. It would have worked better as a "Twilight Zone"/"Black Mirror" episode.

I was fortunate enough to catch this film when it was available and it did not disappoint. I find lately with my entertainment, i crave less and less the pretentious and seek the profound. Films with tales that actually have something to say. Eromose is a fantastic story teller and in this fresh take of a political thriller are revamped, reimagined and even new elements of this genre that already has a plethora of other film entries of its kind. This is the kind of filmmaker that truly is a master of his craft and takes his work seriously , which shows in his product. My hope is to see a wide release of this film but even more so, i look forward to seeing more work from the director in the future.

88 is a thought-provoking film with a phenomenal and diverse cast. At the beginning of the film, I was a little lost with the political conversations, but then there was a great animated sequence explaining Super PACs and the roles non-profits play. It was pretty informative (to me). The plot is a deep dive into American politics and associated conspiracy theories. It's quite a rabbit hole; truly crazy, mind-blowing, and frightening stuff that is unearthed by the protagonist. I believe one of the main goals of 88 is to encourage conversation about complex topics, especially given how the movie ends. (No Spoilers) Also, whether you're into politics or not, I recommend this film because, with politics aside, it's also a story about values and family.