The Black Book

It is quite appealing that this movie is a showcase of reality as something similar to this movie has in recent times,occurred in Nigeria. From police harassment, unlawful killing, injustice to corruption. Kudos to the director and the actors because they know their onion well and fully delivered. I had an emotional breakdown when RMD wasn't allowed to carry his son to bury framing him father of a criminal to say that this movie is heartbreaking. This movie came with a lot of suspense and cutting of scenes which left me wondering what happened in the background and I really wished they showed us more without withholding the action part. Nollywood is yet to reach its peak, getting better and better and with that the shortcomings in the movie are not an issue for me as the main focus of the movie was established.

We clap for Editi Effiong👏🏾 The Black book was a breath of fresh air and a beautiful production!

Only wished the film had kept the same vigor that it started out with😔

DELICIOUS

-The cast was a nice fusion of older generation (RMD, Sam Dede, Alex Usifo) and the newer generation (Ade Laoye, Denola Grey, Olumide Oworu)

-Big shout out to the production crew! Impeccable the sound quality. Yinka Edward, as always, nailed the photography. And the set design adequately suited the rough and tough ambiance

-It was obvious the movie wanted to encourage the people to rise up and act against the framing and killing of innocent young men: 'Silence is the enemy'

BLAND

-The film started on a powerful note with a vigorous altercation between police and armed men, later the momentum increased more when deacon Paul's son was framed.

Then about the time Shaffy Bello was introduced, the pace started slowing down. The dialogues became plain and the scenario casual, without creating any suspense or excitement

-Alex Usifo, Sam Dede, and Shaffy Bello, though playing notorious roles, delivered a theatrical performance.

Plus, the level of violence/fighting choreography was low and the screenplay became predictable

-The absence of symbolism failed to intensify the meaning of the story or help the audience relate to deacon Paul and his pain...

The Black Book

This Nigerian Crime Thriller sees its lead character, Paul Edima, on a revenge journey against those involved in the unlawful killing of his son.

As with many blockbusters that Nollywood has been churning out in recent years, The Black Book is star-studded, from the insignificant to the important characters. This helps the movie maintain a firm grip on the performances from the cast, but Ade Laoye and Bimbo Akintola (even with her limited screen time) deserve praise for their portrayals.

The Black Book starts with a simple plot, and the first quarter is backed by its emotional core. But as the movie unfolds it becomes complex, and the twists employed don't always help the story's progress. Some relationships are glossed over, and some characters are unimportant.

Even though the plot needs refinement, the cinematography is beautiful and elevated with its choice of locations and set designs.

The Black Book can best be summed as Nigeria's answer to the American John Wick.

6/10.

I think the 4.9/10 rating is a deliberate attempt to minimize the great achievement and multifacetedness of this movie. When it comes to African Diasporic cinema, whatever is done in its authenticity to remain African is never enough. However, when we appease the Western gaze through movies about Slavery or the LGBTQ+ community, our cinema is a masterpiece.

Cinematically, the film has great execution, direction, and imagery that is unprecedented in comparison with other Nollywood films. The cast was perfectly selected in my opinion with all actors/actresses effectively playing their characters. I love the collaboration with women to achieve the demise of corruption, a bit that is often if not always overlooked and or exaggerated for dramatic purposes. I also appreciated all the movie was able to encompass. It drew a keen interest and understanding of Nigeria beyond what two-dimensional films often portray. However, the difficulty in seamlessly capturing this richness made the film harder to comprehend.

The various storylines, the length of the firm, and alignment with the film's title made it really difficult to remain engaged with this project. Though this allowed for unpredictability which negated the disengagement, it struggled to flow with the plot and development of the story. Nonetheless, I believe this is a bigger and more present issue with Netflix film productions than this actual film.

I highly recommend watching! It is an emotional rollercoaster packed with thrills. You will cry, jump, and shout. Honestly, there is no better movie-watching experience than that.

Lastly, big congratulations and kudos to the entire team behind this project. I can speak for most Nigerians by saying THANK YOU for restoring our faith in quality Nollywood films. I hope great things come from this endeavor.

Not your typical Nollywood movie.

Edima reminded me of The Equalizer naija version.

Where do i start, This movie was a joy to watch, wasn't expecting this, thought it would be another, just something to watch type of movie. But no, oh no, this movie Kept me gripped and focused from start to finish.

The cinematography was sharp,really felt like i was in Lagos, the graphics were so sharp and the acting was really great, no fake wanna be accents. Truly exquisite.

Look forward to seeing more of these kind of movies. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

Bravo and well done to the team. Thoroughly enjoyed this.👏🏾👍🏾😊 Daddi Kuul.