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The Black Book directed by Editi Effiong is an action film about a deacon who taps back into his sinful ways to avenge his son's death, absolve him, and give him a proper burial. Paul Edima, deacon and reformed assassin, is played by Richard Mofe-Damijo affectionately known as RMD. At the movie's opening, Edima is a loving father and pillar of his remote community while bearing witness and doing good deeds in the name of his Christian faith. The transformation of Edima from humble Christian to determined marksman without losing his sense of morality was a fine line to walk but pulled off seemingly effortlessly by RMD. His beach scene alone made me want to fly to Lagos, suit up, and join the cause. RMD emoted the stages of grief with surgical precision. When his character finally reached acceptance of the loss and determination to avenge, the movie hit its stride. The supporting cast was filled with some of the writer's Nollywood favorites including: Shaffy Bello, Femi Branch, Iretiola Doyle, Bimbo Manuel, Bimbo Akintola, and the one and only Taiwo Ajai-Lycett. The unexpected breakout actress was Ade Laoye who played Vic, the unrelenting journalist who was researching the murder of Edima's son when her path and Edima's crossed. Vic's scene in the church when she found out who was responsible for her mother's death brought tears to the writer's eyes. This otherwise strong and determined character broke emotionally in a way that was palpable. Ade's Vic evolved with the storyline as though her scenes were shot in sequential order or as though Ade kept the entire story in mind when she shot each scene. Brilliant performance. Also, shout out to the blonde assassin played by Denola Grey. I was expecting big things from him but he was murdered before his third costume change. Pity. Perhaps more of him and less dozens of people holding guns in the air and chasing each other would have fared better.

Though the premise of the story was believable, it sometimes got muddled with all the shootouts. It became difficult at times to figure out who was fighting whom and why or how Nigeria is still a functioning nation with so many warring factions in broad daylight. To be fair, there's a Hollywood blockbuster buster movie director who is notorious for overdoing fight scenes and explosions by having too much going on at once and giving the viewer sensory overload, but his movies are still some of my favorites. So there's that. Overall, it was a really good movie with a cast of heavyweights lead by RMD, beautiful cinematography, and plausible premise. Just use the gang fighting and gun showboating times for a snack break because they don't seem necessary to the story.

I knew about Bollywood, Indian cinema where there's always a bit of choreographed dancing and singing, but never heard of Nollywood, Nigerian cinema. So this was a first for me, and most probably a last if they all are going to be of this quality. The story could have been something but it was just badly written. The acting was so-so. Some actors were okay, others were below average. Bad articulation from some wannabe actors. I'm sorry but extras also have to be good otherwise the quality of a movie goes down. The cinematography was just okay, nothing mesmerizing here. At the moment no Nollywood for me anymore.

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...

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.