Gangs of Lagos

Nigerian films are getting better at cinematography, scenery and soundtrack. Gang of Lagos didn't fail in these aspects.

Though the storyline is a little bit boring at some point. The street fight is ridiculously unbelievable especially with Adesuwa going to a street fight with a shotgun and nobody is scared or noticed.

It is good to see Faniran playing a gangster role.

Bimbo Ademoye as always is a phenomenal actor. She didn't disappoint in the movie at all.

Zlatan and Pasuma are the surprises of the movie. Their performances are beyond expectation.

It's not a movie I would want to watch twice so I will give the movie a seven star rating.

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.

Let's talk about Gangs of Lagos, a new Nigerian movie that have got the whole country talking.

I've been a long standing critic of the Nigerian movie industry, noticeable, is the fact I still don't refer to the film industry as "Nollywood", that's a conversation for another day! But Greoh Studios though cliché in their story telling, have made a name for themselves in the Action Genre. What a man can do, a woman can only try, right?

Just two major movies down and the nation is already overwhelmed (Brotherhood and Gangs of Lagos).

The only thing I see lacking from this studio is attension to detail, little errors that could be avoided but if you ain't detailed yourself, you may not even notice those errors. Considering the budget for the movie, the production came out great, mark my words; only few Hollywood studios can make a movie this good with the same budget.

Gangs of Lagos tells a Nigerian story in a brilliant way, bringing a blend of western story style with Nigerian tradition. The originality, costume, less use of English, Action choreography(5.5/10 and this is the best I have seen a Nigerian movie do). The pictures and sound were great, the sound particularly for me...

What made the movie great also was even though I knew I was seeing regular gang movie clichés, I was still glued to my screen and I enjoyed every bit of the movie.

A recommended watch for every lover of good movie.

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.

I don't watch much Nigerian media, but this is a quality show. Fast paced, even if the dialogue drags on sometimes. All in all, the show gives you a feet-on-the-ground feel for the no-tourists parts of Lagos.

The actors come across as authentic denizens of the streets. Refreshing to see from a Western perspective where Africa is otherized beyond recognition. I'd love to see more of these shows even if the gangland storylines can get a bit worn out. But it's set apart from Nollywood because it cuts out all the melodrama.

Cool soundtrack, fun actors and a real eye-opener for audiences overseas.