Eye of the Storm

Finally, a film about black African child soldiers that is not predictable or exploits or reheats themes and images found in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness ("the horror, the horror"). And yet, Eye of the Storm has the musculature of a Hollywood film. It moves, feels, and is edited like a movie that has a big budget, big names, and big themes. Even some of the tension and twists in the plot are the kinds studio executives expect from a script. The intention of Eye of the Storm is to discomfit. The complexity surrounding the issues raised make snap judgments even more redundant than usual. Right down to the final disconcerting scene, it's a morbidly compelling work of art.