MOVIE REVIEW: GANGS OF LAGOS

Isale Eko is a city where the heartbeat and pulse of Lagos is felt. Situated on Lagos Island, this city is the main setting for the movie, Gangs of Lagos which portrays the hustle and bustle prevalent in the country’s metropolitan city. If you have ever wondered what the street life in Lagos looks like, then look no further, Gangs of Lagos is the movie for you. It is a story of three childhood friends who had dreams of a better life but are caught up in the street life of survival in Isale Eko. They get involved in politically affiliated gang struggle where the stronger rules.

About a month ago, the highly anticipated movie produced by Jade Osiberu and Kemi Lala Akindoju was released. Upon its release, the movie garnered a lot of recognition being the first Nigeria original movie to premiere on Prime Video.

Tobi Bakre, who played the role of Obalola brought all the action the movie needed. Having played two action movies in a row, he seems to be niching down to be the action star in Nigeria. Another key actor was the antagonist, Kazeem played by Olarotomi Fakunle. Although new to our screens, Olarotimi won the heart of many with his performance. As a stage performer, he showed off the entirety of his talent and skills beautifully well.

Everyone can attest that Chioma Akpotha is an excellent actress and she didn’t fall short in this movie. The famous funeral scene where she acted a monologue was a such a memorable one. Anyone who watched this movie will not easily forget the amount of acting prowess she exhibited in the scene.

On the other hand, the role of Gift, played by Adesua Etomi unfortunately did not have a well developed character. Not so much was revealed to the viewers about her story, dreams and drive. The role played by Toyin Abraham was also a minus to the screenplay as she had less attention and seemed to make the story a tad disjointed.

The movie explored the fact that people are greedy and self seeking in the society and you should never give them the opportunity to steal your dreams. We can also relate to the constant struggle for political power which usually involves the promotion of violence by political God fathers. Overall, I’ll rate this movie 8/10 and would recommend as a good watch.

Ewonubari Dagde-Kenneth